A Wolf's Cry
by NancyLaj
Summary: New Chapter! Post Season 7 AU : Oz returns to Sunnydale because a seer told him that he's needed there. But will he get more than he bargained for, when he sees Willow again?
1. Prologue

Chapter Author's Notes: I do not own anything Buffy, it all belongs to Joss. This story just came to me one day, so I decided to start writing it. Here is what you need to know, this story is set is an alternate-universe about one year after the end of Season 7. What makes this an alternate universe fanfic is that there is a child among the Scoobies and Buffy and the others were able to save Sunnydale from collapsing. This child was born at the beginning of Season 5. More will be explained in future chapters. Please take the time to reply and let me know if anyone is interested in reading more. Prologue

Oz never expected to have to return to Sunnydale. But after 4 years of traveling the world helping other young werewolves learn to control the beast within, he had no choice but to return. Especially not when a seer in Scotland told him that there was a little girl in Sunnydale who needed his help.

He knew that in returning, there was the chance of him running into some of his old friends. Possibly even a Scooby but that thought didn't scare him as much as he had expected. The one person that he was terrified of running into was Willow. He knew that everything was his fault and he couldn't blame her for moving on but he also knew that it would kill him to see her with someone else. He often caught himself wondering if she was still with Tara or had she found someone new.

"I have to concentrate on finding this little girl." He told himself as he looked up at the full moon. "She must be in wolf form now." Oz knew that it was likely that he would have to change into his own werewolf form once he's found her. But he hoped that he would enough control over his own wolf to not attack anyone and to prevent the little girl from doing the same.

As he continued to walk down Main Street, his nose suddenly caught the scent of something. But he was unable to positively identify the scent as one of another werewolf because there was something missing from the scent. But something inside of Oz told him to follow the scent, not knowing exactly where or to whom it would lead him.

Oz began walking faster as the scent grew stronger; it led him to a store. He looked up at the sign, it read 'The Magic Box'. It was then that he heard a scream. As he looked into the store window, he saw a young girl running to hide in the far corner of the store, as a man jumped onto a table near the girl. Oz began sniffing the air around him. The werewolf-like scent was coming from the store, but it wasn't the only thing that Oz was able to conclude. The man in the store wasn't a man at all, it was a vampire.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter. 1

"Kennedy, I'm so happy that you're back in town for a visit but you know that I hate not being with Leila. Especially tonight, there is a full moon tonight and we both know that means demon-palooza." Willow whined as they walked towards The Bronze.

Kennedy stopped and turned Willow towards her, she knew that the redheaded witch was worried but Kennedy knew that there was nothing to worry about. She took Willow's hand in her own, trying to reassure her. "Buffy and the other slayers are on patrol tonight. Plus, Leila's being protected, it isn't like we left her at the house all alone. Everyone knows that if someone were to let something happen to her, they had better hide fast because not only will they have slayers after them, but also one very pissed off witch." Kennedy said trying to make Willow laugh. But when Willow didn't respond, Kennedy continued. "Will, I'm only in town for the next week, then I have to go back to Cleveland. My own team needs me and as shocking as this might be to hear, Faith needs me too. So how about we just have some fun tonight? No talking about anything to do with work. And don't worry, Leila will still love you tomorrow."

Willow turned to Kennedy and smiled. "You're right. So how do you like being on Faith's team? Must be different from our team here."

"You can sure say that again. In Cleveland, at least I have some say in what I do in relations to slaying. I can pretty much do what I want. Faith is awesome. We have very similar fighting styles so that makes thing pretty simple. If I had stayed here, I would never have had the chance to prove myself as a slayer. But I do miss some things about Sunnydale, like you."

"Ken…"

"I know. I know. No talking about the past tonight. We are here to have fun. And by the way, I talked to Leila and she agrees with me that you need to get out of the house more." Kennedy answered Willow's warning as they entered The Bronze.

"What did you talk to her about?" Willow asked, a little afraid to hear the answer. She began playing with the tips of her long red hair, nervously. Willow knew that there was never a way to predict what would come out of Kennedy's mouth.

Kennedy laughed at Willow's worried expression. "Relax, I didn't say anything that you would have to explain later. I just asked her for her permission to keep you out late tonight."

Willow sat down at the only empty table left and moved down the booth, allowing Kennedy to sit beside her. She laughed as Kennedy answered her question. "And did she give you her permission?"

Kennedy took Willow's face in her hands and gently kissed her on the lips. "As a matter of fact, she did. She did make me promise not to hurt you and I take that promise very seriously. You know that I would never hurt you intentionally, right?"

Willow brought her lips closer to Kennedy's and simply replied: "I know." She kissed the young slayer, who immediately took the opportunity to deepen the kiss.

They exchanged kisses until a waitress appeared to take their drink order. After placing their order, Kennedy turned back to Willow and said: "Tonight is going to be a good night. I'm getting some tongue action and I haven't even bought you a drink yet."

Willow blushed and laughed as she replied: "Yeah, as long as no demons decide to make an appearance."

"And as long as Leila doesn't get bored and decide to call. And now that I think of it, hand over your cell. If she calls and you answer, I'll never get you off the phone." Kennedy continued as their drinks arrived.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter. 2

Without thinking Oz ran at full-speed into the shop. He didn't even think about the risks of running towards a vampire without a weapon. But Oz knew that he had to save the little girl.

"Hey! How about you attack someone your own size?" Oz yelled as he ran up to the counter where the vampire stood. He grabbed the corner of the vampire's long leather jacket, pulling the vampire down onto the floor. Once the vampire was on the floor, Oz noticed a stake sitting on the counter; he quickly grabbed it and jumped on the vampire, aiming for the chest. But before he could make contact with the vampire, it turned around and punched Oz in the head.

Oz landed on the floor at the vampire's feet. As he tried to stand back up, he caught a glimpse of the little girl crying in the corner.

"Well if it isn't Wolf-Boy."

Oz looked up at the vampire. "Spike?"

Spike fixed his jacket then looked over his shoulder towards Leila, making sure that she was still safe. She was trembling and crying, but still curled up safely in the corner. He turned to walk towards her.

"Get away from her!" Oz ordered. He knew that he couldn't let Spike get any closer to the little girl. But as Spike ignored him, Oz began to shake, the wolf inside of him trying to come out. "Don't say that I didn't warn you."

Spike turned around when he heard the change in Oz's voice. He watched as Oz began to change into a werewolf. "Don't do that. See I'm walking away from her." Spike began to back away from Leila and walk towards Oz. "If you change, you'll terrify the little one even more than you already have."

The little girl ran towards Spike, hiding behind his jacket. She looked Spike's leg, and stared right at Oz.

Spike lowered his hand onto the child's head. "It's alright. This man will be leaving now." He said, looking down at Leila. He then turned back at Oz. "Weren't you, Wolf-boy?"

Oz shook his head, pushing the wolf back down. He was confused. Spike was evil, a vampire and yet this little girl wasn't scared of him. She was scared of Oz. He didn't know what was going on, but the one thing that he did know was that this little girl was the source of the wolf-like scent that he had been following.

He couldn't help but stare at the little girl; she was the cutest thing that he had ever seen. As she looked back at him with her big blue eyes, she brushed the long red hair away from her eyes. Oz noticed that she wore an orange Scooby-Doo t-shirt and a bright pink ballerina tutu. He guessed that she must have dressed herself but other than that she looked like any other normal little girl, other than the scent. But by the way that she kept hiding her face behind Spike, Oz knew that she was still scared.

It disturbed Spike to see the way that Oz stared at Leila. He knew that he had to either get Oz to leave or have Leila go into the other room. And since it appeared that Oz wasn't leaving without a fight, Leila was Spike's best bet. He crutched down to her level and took the little girl's face in his hands, making sure that she was looking at him and not at Oz. "How about you give the adults some time to talk? I bet that if you looked hard enough, you can find some cookies in the office. I think that I might have seen in the top drawer."

Leila smiled as Spike mentioned the cookies. "I have 2 cookies?" She asked innocently.

"Sure thing. Anything for you, Bit."

"I have 5 cookies?" Leila asked, showing him five fingers.

"Only if you don't tell let your mother know. But if you want them, you have to go get them right now." Spike stated. As soon as he was finished talking, Leila took off running towards the office, stopping only once to look back at Oz, before entering the office.

When Spike was sure that Leila was in the office, he turned back to Oz. "I thought I told you to leave."

"What the hell is going on here?" Oz asked. He began looking around at his surroundings. The shelves were fully stocked with all sort of things, Oz figure that from the name of the shop, everything here had to do with magic. A plaque nailed to the wall caught his attention. It read 'Congratulations to Mr. Rupert Giles and Mrs. Anya Harris for 3 years of business in Sunnydale.'

He turned to Spike and asked: "Giles and Anya own this place?"

Spike looked at the plaque that Oz had been staring at. "They do. But with Giles gone, Anya runs the show. Wait, why am I telling you this? I'm surely not getting involved in this mess. If you want more answers, you'll have to find them yourself. Now leave before I show you the way out."

Oz knew that Spike wouldn't be of any help to him and something told him that the little girl was somehow safe with him. "Fine, I'll leave but there's something strange going on here and I'm going to find out what it is."

"Sure, how about you leave and go do that." Spike walked around Oz and up to the door. He held it open, waiting for Oz to leave.

Oz wasn't looking for another confrontation with Spike, not when he now had a lot more questions then when he first returned to Sunnydale. He walked passed Spike and was barely out of the store when he warned Spike. "If you hurt that little girl, I'll kill you."

"You wouldn't be the only one." Spike replied before he slammed the door shut.

Oz knew that he had nowhere to go and it was still too early to head back to his motel room. The Bronze. Oz knew that it would be interesting to find out how it had changed since he last played there. "I can't do anything until morning, so one drink couldn't hurt. And maybe tomorrow, Anya could tell me who this little girl is and why she smells like a wolf."


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter. 3

Willow and Kennedy were dancing when Kennedy suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong?" Willow asked curiously.

Instead of replying, Kennedy dug into her pocket and took out a ringing cell phone.

"Is it Leila?"

"No, it's the Magic Shop." Kennedy replied, handing the phone to Willow.

Willow began shaking. The only person who would call from The Magic Shop at this time of night, would be Spike. "Silentium Musica"

Suddenly the music stopped. Kennedy looked around to see what had happened when she noticed that everyone around them was still dancing. "Did you just do a spell?" Kennedy asked curiously.

Willow nodded as she answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Red, I think that we've got trouble." Spike said.

"What? Is Leila okay?" Willow began to worry; something inside of her had told her that she shouldn't have left Leila, especially during a full moon.

"No, the little one is fine. But we did have a visitor."

Willow didn't like where the conversation was headed. "Who? A demon? Another vampire?"

"A werewolf. Or should I say, your werewolf." Spike answered.

Willow almost dropped the phone, it had been over 4 years since she's last seen or heard from Oz. And now he was back in Sunnydale. She knew that the truth would come out eventually but she didn't expect it to happen for a few more years. And she never expected Oz to return and find out. "Give me a minute, Spike."

Willow turned to Kennedy, who appeared worried as she waited to find out why Spike had called. "Will, what's wrong? Is it Lei? Did something happen to any of the slayers while on patrol? Tell me."

"No, everyone is fine. How about you go grab us some more drinks? I have a feeling that I'll be needing it. Oh, and while you're at it can you ask Rona if everything is ready for tomorrow? She's working the bar tonight." Willow knew that she couldn't talk about Oz in front of Kennedy.

Since Oz last left Sunnydale, there had seemed to be an unspoken truth among the Scoobies, that no one would mention his name. No one had even brought up his name when they found out that she was pregnant. Willow believed that they did it for her, and for that she was grateful.

"Promise to tell me everything when I get back?" Kennedy asked.

"Sure thing." Willow lied. She kissed Kennedy softly, trying to reassure the young slayer.

Willow watched as Kennedy made her way through the crowd, towards the bar. "Ludo Musica." When the music began to play again, Willow had to cover her ear. It was so loud that she was barely able to hear Spike on the other line. "Spike, you're telling me that you saw Oz?"

"He walked right through the front door."

"I'm coming straight there. Get Leila's stuff ready." Willow knew that in the end, the only one who could protect Leila from Oz, was herself.

"Red, don't do that. The little one is enjoying herself and Wolf-Boy is gone. I don't think that he'll be back tonight. So go enjoy the night or else I'll have more than one pissed off slayer on my hands." Spike replied.

"Fine. But if you even sense that he is around, hide Leila in the panic room and call me immediately." Willow warned.

"I assure you that I won't be letting him near her again. Go enjoy your night off, and Kennedy's company. But don't be getting used to me watching the rugrat."

Willow laughed, Spike said the same thing every full moon when he babysat Leila. "Thank you, Spike. I'll call in a little while to check in." With that Willow hung up the cell phone. Willow decided that she would wait until the morning to figure out what she would do about Oz. She wanted to have one more night of fun before her world turned upside-down.

Oz was waiting for the bartender to serve him when he noticed a young woman walk up beside him. He turned to her and said: "You might waiting awhile. I've been here for 10 minutes waiting for a drink."

Kennedy turned to the man next to her. There was something oddly familiar about him, though she knew that she had never seen him before. But he seemed to be a nice guy, who was just at The Bronze to enjoy the music, like everyone else. "Don't worry, I know how to get us served."

Kennedy leaned over the bar and yelled over the music. "Hey Rona! We need drinks over here."

Rona walked over to the end of the bar where Kennedy and Oz stood. "Hey Ken, when did you get back to town?"

"I just got back today. I'm here with my girl."

Rona laughed and replied. "Don't you mean your ex-girl?"

"Shut up. For tonight, she IS my girl. How about you get back to work? You can start by getting me and his guy some drinks?"

"I was working when you called me over here. But now that I am here, what can I get you guys?" Rona asked, looking back and forth between Kennedy and the guy.

Kennedy was the first to reply. "I'll have two strawberry daiquiries."

Oz then ordered his drink. "I'll just have a whiskey on the rocks."

Kennedy turned to the guy and asked. "Hard night?"

There was something oddly familiar about the girl, but Oz couldn't pinpoint what it was. Especially since he was pretty sure that he had never seen her before. "You can say that." Oz looked around the room, he could have sworn that he caught Willow's scent but he didn't see her anywhere. 'It must just be wishful thinking.' Oz thought to himself. He knew that he wanted to see Willow but he was unsure as to if he was ready for her to see him. Oz knew Willow was the only person that he would ever love, but he knew that she didn't feel the same way towards him. She had chosen to be with Tara instead of him.

"That sucks." Kennedy replied before turning back to Rona, who now served them their drinks. "Rona, I was asked to ask you if everything's ready for tomorrow? For the party."

"No, sorry. I know that you really wanted to sing to the birthday girl but the guitarist that I found, just cancelled on us." Rona answered.

"How am I going to find a guitarist the night before a party?" Kennedy asked, knowing that without a guitarist, she would never by able to give Leila her birthday present.

Oz knew that it wasn't his place to listen in on the conversation but he knew that he could help them. "I think that I might able to help you with that."


	5. Chapter 4

_Author's Note: Thank you to all those who took the time to reply. I love to read them, they make me want to write more, which means more chapters. Tell me know what you think about where this story is headed. Sorry that this is a short chapter. I promise that the next one will be alot longer._

Chapter. 4

Willow woke up to the feeling of cold little feet on her back. She smiled, knowing exactly who it was. "Leila, why are you in my bed?"

The little girl began to giggle as Willow pulled her down onto the bed, beside her and began to tickle her. "Stop it, Mommy! Stop! Kennedy tell me to wake you up."

"So it was Kennedy who went to get you at the Magic Shop?"

Leila nodded enthusiastically in response. "She come visit me for my party!"

Willow pretended to be confused. "Party? Why would we have a party? Is today something special?"

Leila's forehead creased as she frowned, she was on the verge of tears when Willow smiled letting her daughter know that she was only joking. "Silly Mommy, it my birthday! My party!"

Willow laughed and started to tickle her daughter, again. "And what does the birthday girl want to do today?"

"My party!" Leila repeated.

Willow pulled her daughter into a hug and replied. "Your party isn't until this afternoon." She turned to the clock, noticing the time. "We still have 5 hours until the party. So what do you want to do for the next 5 hours?"

Leila pulled away from her mother, she sat across from Willow, a look of deep thought on her face. A smiled suddenly appeared, illuminating her whole face. "I want to go to Slayer House!" Leila answered enthusiastically, jumping on the bed.

"Hey! Hey! No jumping on that bed, I don't want to have to fix it again." Xander said walking into Willow's room.

"Uncle Xander! You come for my party?" Leila asked excitedly as she jumped off the bed, landing perfectly on her feet.

Willow knew that Leila's sense of balance come from her father. There were a lot of things about Leila that made her different from other children her age. Her perfect sense of balance, the energy boosts during the full three days and nights of the full moon and her enhanced sense of smell. It scared Willow, not knowing if her daughter would develop any other wolf-like characteristics, as she grew older.

Willow knew that Leila's father wasn't the only one to blame for Leila not being quite normal. Leila had also inherited Willow's power, which everyone found out, was very dangerous for a young child to have. But she wasn't the only one to know that her daughter was special. Along with the Scoobies and the slayers, the demon world also knew about Leila's special abilities.

Since Leila's birth, many demons have tried to either kidnap or kill her. To the demon world, Leila was a threat. They called her a hybrid demon. It pained Willow everything she heard a demon refer to her daughter as a demon or a part-demon. To Willow, a werewolf wasn't even in the same category as a demon. But she did understand why they were afraid. Because Leila had both werewolf and witch elements, there was no telling the damage that she could do to demons or for them.

"Mommy! Mommy! Can I go?"

Willow snapped out of her own thoughts as she heard her daughter's voice. "Sorry Honey, Mommy wasn't paying attention. What did you say?"

"I wanna go to Slayer House!! Auntie Dawn gonna make pancakes just like Mama, for my birthday. Please, Mommy. Please!" Leila pleaded.

Willow turned to Xander and asked. "You really want pancakes, don't you? I can't believe that you planted the idea of Tara pancakes into Lei's head. You know that Dawn won't be able to say no when Leila starts begging her to make them."

Xander sat on the bed beside Willow, stopping to ruffle Leila's already messy hair. "Hey, you can't blame a guy for trying. Dawn makes them almost as delicious as Tara's were. Plus she only makes them on Scooby birthdays and today is the youngest and the cutest Scooby's big day. So yeah, I want my pancakes." He laughed.

It made sense, to Willow, for Leila to go to the Slayer House, it was the safest place for her. Especially from Oz. There was no risk oh him showing up at the house; meaning that Leila would be safe while Willow ran a few errands before the party.

Willow knew that there was a higher chance of Oz showing up at her own front door. Especially since she now lived in the Summers' old home, only her and Leila. Slayer House had at one time been Angel's mansion. After defeating the First, Buffy decided to move Dawn and the slayers into the mansion. It was the only place that there was enough room for everyone yet was still fairly private and hidden from the rest of Sunnydale. "I think that breakfast at the Slayer House is a great way to start Leila Day. Just give me a few minutes to get ready."

"Will, why don't I bring Leila there with me now? That way we don't have to wait for pancakes and you can give Kennedy a little attention. I think that she is feeling slightly neglected, especially since I heard that you drank too much "juice" and fell asleep in the cab on the way home." Xander asked. He knew that something was wrong with Willow. She rarely drank, let alone drank until she passed out. He turned to Leila, who was now pretending to slay something invisible. He smiled at the little girl who wanted to be a slayer more than anything. "Leila, how about you go grab your bag? I need to talk to your mommy."

"Okay. I go get my bag then we go eat pancakes." Leila announced, running from the room, leaving Xander alone to question Willow.

"Hey Wil, what happened last night that was so bad, you felt like you had to get drunk and pass out?"

Willow laid back down and threw the covers over her head. "I don't want to talk about it right now. Please Xander, just let it go."

Xander climbed off the bed, pulling all the blankets off of the bed. Leaving Willow laying on the bed, still wearing the same clothes as the night before. "Sorry, I can't do that. Willow, I'm your best friend, there isn't anything that you can't talk to me about. Just tell me what happened."

"Xander, give me those blankets back. Right now."

"No. Not until you tell me."

"Fine. Oz is back. Happy now?" Willow admitted.

"Isn't he Leila's father?" Kennedy asked as she walked into the room.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter. 5

Oz sat at the coffee shop across from the Magic Box. Unable to sleep at the motel, he had decided to wait for Anya to open the shop. He knew that he had to find out why this little girl smelled like a werewolf, yet she hadn't turned into one during the full moon. He was confused, but he hoped that Anya would help him.

He knew that once he spoke to Anya, Willow would find out that he was in town. Oz thought back to the night before, at the bar. There were a few times that he could have sworn that he had caught Willow's scent. But when he thought about it, if she still lived in Sunnydale, she most likely still went to The Bronze often.

He looked down at his guitar; he had decided to just carry it around with him until the party. He had practiced the song all night in his motel room, he had laughed when the dark haired girl, whom the other girl called Ken, first handed him the sheet music. It made him wonder how old this birthday girl was turning.

No matter what Oz tried his mind kept jumping back and forth between the little girl and Willow. He then suddenly thought of the possibility that Anya might not want to help him, she was friends with Willow. But a solution came also as quickly as the possible problem. If Anya was unable or unwilling to help him find this little girl, he would bite the bullet and start looking for Xander or Buffy. He knew that even if they didn't want to help him, they wouldn't be able to say no to helping an innocent child.

Oz jumped up from his seat when he watched Anya approach the Magic Box. He waited until she unlocked the door and entered the building before he began walking towards it. With every step, he felt like he was getting closer to finding answers. Answers about the little girl; and possibly some answers about Willow's new life. Her life without him. "I have to concentrate on the girl." He continuously repeated to himself as he entered the Magic Box. He immediately spotted Anya behind the cash register.

"Troll's Hair is 20 off. But if you need something simpler, we have scented candles. I'll sell you two for the price of one." Anya said, without looking up, as she counted the money in the register.

He walked down a couple of steps, towards the counter. The same counter where he had first seen Spike stand. Oz remembered the feeling that he had felt, thinking of the little girl in danger. He felt a desperate, almost animalistic, need to protect her. Sure he had protected others in the past, but this time things were different. He didn't know why but he knew that he had to find out why he felt so protective over this little girl that his wolf side had almost come out. "Actually I need to talk to you." Oz stated, announcing his presence to Anya.

Anya turned towards the source of the voice. She had recognized it almost immediately. "What are you doing here?" She asked, unsure of the reason for his return. It had been almost 5 years since anyone had last heard from him. He had just disappeared. Anya wondered if Willow ever tried to find him. She knew that she would have asked Willow herself, except for the fact that no one ever mentioned his name; or his existence for that matter. Anya had once tried to ask Willow, before Leila was born but Xander pulled her to the side and told her not to ever mention Oz's name. And since that day, no one ever did. But now he was back, standing in her shop. She couldn't figure out why he was there, even when he dated Willow, they had never really been friends.

"I was hoping that you could help me." Oz wasn't sure how best to bring up the topic of the little girl.

"I figured out that much. But you don't live in this town anymore so I don't think that you drove all the way back to Sunnydale from wherever you were, just for my help. There has to be something more. Did you come here to ask me about Willow?"

"Not really. I do want to know how she is but I came to talk to you for another reason." He wasn't sure how much to tell Anya because he knew that once he told Anya, the whole Scooby gang would get involved. And Oz wasn't sure that he wanted their help just yet. "I came by here last night and thought that I saw a vampire attack a little girl. After trying to rescue the little girl, I found out that the vampire was Spike. And that he wasn't attacking the little girl, I think that he was playing a game with her."

"Why were you here?" Anya asked.

"I was driving through town, thought that I'd take a walk around town, relive some memories. But who's this little girl and why wasn't Spike doing the whole vampire-drinking-blood thing?"

"Well he doesn't bite humans anymore. He apparently has a soul now, except he's still Spike so I'm not always sure. He still acts like an ass sometimes."

"I kinda figured that part out. But what was he doing with a little girl, especially that little girl. And who is she? Why were they here?"

"Why do you want to know who this girl is?" Anya didn't know how much she could tell him without getting in a whole lot of trouble with Willow and Xander. She decided that it was best to just stay quiet.

Oz knew that Anya was just staling, she knew more than she was letting on. "I just have to know. But you're not going to tell me, are you?" Anya shook her head in reply. "Well can you at least tell me where I can find Buffy or Xander?"

"The same place that they usually are. The Slayer School. You can find either of them there, probably both." Anya answered. She didn't see any damage in sending Oz to the Slayer House. She knew that the slayers knew how to defend themselves, especially if he turned into a werewolf.

"A Slayer School?" Oz was confused. He couldn't remember there being a school for slayers, especially where there was only one slayer at a time. But did he know that Buffy had never gone to any special slayer school during the time that he knew her.

Anya closed the cash register and began walking towards him. "Yeah it's in the mansion by the big cemetery. I think that Angel used to live there. So if you need more answers, go talk to someone else. I really don't want to get in trouble for saying something that I shouldn't."

Oz was pretty sure that he remembered where Angel used to live. Since Anya was of no help, he hoped that Xander or Buffy would help him. Oz looked down at his watch, he had just over four hours until the party and only another ten hours until sunset. He had seen for himself that the little girl hadn't turned into a werewolf during the actual full moon, but he wasn't sure if that meant that she wouldn't turn during this third and final werewolf night. Oz knew that if he didn't find her in the next twenty-four hours, he could lose his trail on her until the next full moon. And he wasn't sure that he wanted to stay in Sunnydale that long.

"So if you're not going to buy anything, you can leave now." Anya stated, interrupting Oz's thoughts.

"I think that I'll do that. It was nice to see you again, Anya." With that Oz turned around and exited the store, hoping that he would have a better chance at getting answers from Xander.

"Isn't he Leila's father?" Kennedy asked as she walked into Willow's bedroom.

"Xander, can you please take Leila to the Slayer House now? I think that I need to talk to Kennedy." Willow had hoped to not have to explain the Oz situation to Kennedy. It wasn't because she didn't trust Kennedy; it was because Willow found it hard to talk about Oz because she still had feelings for him. But Willow knew that Kennedy deserved to know the whole story. Even though their relationship hadn't worked out, they still remained very close friends.

"I'm sorry, Will. I didn't think that…I'll take Leila there now." Xander apologized; he hadn't expected Willow to tell him that Oz was back in town, much less have Kennedy hear it. He wondered what had happened between Willow and Oz the night before, to make Willow want to get so drunk. But Xander understood that answers would have to wait until another time, he knew that Leila would soon be reentering the room and he didn't want to also be responsible for her overhearing something that she shouldn't. "I'm going to go meet Leila downstairs. Again, I'm sorry." Xander repeated as he left the room.

Once she was sure that Xander had left, Kennedy picked up the comforter and put it back on the bed. She climbed onto the bed and sat beside Willow, wrapping her arm around the apparently shaken witch.

Willow leaned her head on Kennedy's shoulder and closed her eyes. She felt like her world was beginning to crumble around her and yet something told her that things had just begun.

"Babe, talk to me. What did Leila's father do to you?" Kennedy asked, she thought that it had to be pretty serious for Willow to resort to alcohol.

Willow looked up into Kennedy's eyes; she could tell that the young slayer still loved her. But Willow knew that it wasn't fair to Kennedy, when she was still in love with the two ghosts from her past. Except now, one of them was back in her life. Oz. "He hasn't done anything, which is part of the problem. But before I tell you the story, how did you know that Leila's father's name is Oz?"

"Well I heard Buffy and Xander talking about it one day. But don't worry, I've known for awhile now and still haven't told anyone. You know that you can trust me, right?"

"Kennedy, I do trust you. It is just hard to talk about him; it brings back a lot of memories, good and bad. But here I go. Are you comfortable? This could take awhile." Willow asked, trying to stall the conversation, secretly hoping for some sort of demon to come crashing into the room.

Kennedy watched Willow as she stared at the window. 'It looks like she's waiting for something.' Kennedy thought to herself. After waiting a few minutes, Kennedy broke the silence. "Willow, nothing is going to come through that window to save you. Now spill, you're making me nervous."

"I guess that I should start at the beginning. I met Oz during my junior year in highschool and we started dating soon after. Everything was perfect. We dated until our freshman year at U C Sunnydale. That is when things happened and Oz ended up sleeping with another woman. He left later on that same day; it broke my heart. At the time, I had never thought that I could be in worse pain. I didn't hear from him for 3 months and during those three months, I met and fell in love with Tara. But he came back, I never expected him to return. I was so confused; I didn't know what to do or who I belonged with. In the end, I chose Tara and Oz left town again. I haven't heard from him since, it has been about four and a half years now."

"So how did…" Kennedy started to ask.

Willow let out a short laugh. "I wasn't finished. A month after Oz left, I found out that I was pregnant, four months pregnant. I had gone through my whole first trimester and didn't have any clue. Well there were clues but at the time I thought that I was just feeling sick because I missed Oz so much. It never occurred to me that I was pregnant. After I found out, I was terrified. Oz was gone and I had no way of getting a hold of him and I thought that Tara would leave me. I could understand why she would have, but she didn't, she stayed by my side and supported me the whole way. That made me love her so much more than I could ever have imagined." Willow paused remembering the love that she shared with Tara. She then suddenly remembered that she was laying in Kennedy's arms, not Tara's. "I'm so sorry. I just…"

"It's okay. I know that you love her and I can understand that. But this Oz thing, there has to be something more. What is he your whole Angel guy?" Kennedy wondered.

"My Angel guy?" Willow laughed, unsure of what Kennedy meant.

"Hey! Don't laugh; I'm being serious here. I just mean, is he that dangerous guy that you fell in love with and could never forget?"

"He wasn't dangerous at first. Sure he's a werewolf but he only used to turn during the three nights of the full moon. We knew when to expect him to go all wolfy. It wasn't until he figured out how not to turn during the full moon, that he became a danger. When he found out that Tara and I were together, he turned into a werewolf in the middle of the day. He just couldn't control his anger. And forgetting him is a little hard; Leila is a constant reminder but a good reminder. It's Oz's ability to go at all wolfy at any time that scares me when it comes to him being around Leila." Willow babbled until she noticed that Kennedy was staring at her. "What?"

"He's a Werewolf?"

Willow nodded.

"Wow, that does explains a lot about your daughter. The once a month, three-day, energizer bunny is one thing that gets explained. The whole her smelling people thing, yeah another thing explained. But Willow, does he know that he has a daughter?" Kennedy inquired. She knew the answer as soon as Willow lowered her head. "You should tell him. I think that he has a right to know."

"Oz is Oz. I loved him so much but I can't trust him anymore. I know that he would never hurt her but it is the wolf that scares me. I didn't have the chance to tell him before about Leila because I didn't know where he was. But now that he's back, there are no more excuses and I am scared of how he'd react. Oz is the kind of guy that if he had known that I was pregnant, he would have stepped up and taken responsibility. Oh, I don't know what to do. I guess that I'll have to figure something out. But not today; today is Leila's day. And I shouldn't worry; I haven't even seen him yet." Willow stated, trying to concentrate on the fact that it was her daughter's birthday.

"Willow, I know that you will figure something out. You are the smartest and most beautiful woman that I have ever met. Why did I ever let you go?" Kennedy asked with a smile on her face as she crawled on top of Willow.

Willow began laughing as Kennedy slowly began trailing kisses down her neck. She struggled to free herself from the young slayer's grasp. "You let me go? You're a slayer, you shouldn't be tied down."

"I like to be tied." Kennedy replied with an evil smirk on her face.

Willow playfully struggled against Kennedy until she fell off the bed. Laughing, Willow stood back up. "Okay, that is not fair. You know that we can't do this anymore. Plus, we don't have time to waste, I still have a lot to do before we meet the others for breakfast." Her mind began to drift. 'I wonder what Oz is doing right now?' She thought to herself.

"Come on Dawn, the birthday girl wants pancakes." Xander begged.

Dawn laughed at Xander and picked up Leila, sitting her on her hip. "Leila, did Uncle Xander tell you that I'd make you pancakes because it's your birthday?" Dawn asked the little girl.

"He say you make them for me! Please, Aunty?" Leila pleaded, making Dawn laugh.

"Okay, Dawn, just make the kids their pancakes before the whining starts." Buffy said as she walked into the kitchen. She was happy that the house was nearing empty. Most of the young slayers were already at The Bronze decorating for Leila's birthday party and remaining girls were upstairs studying for their SATs.

Dawn looked back at both Xander and Leila. "Fine, I'll make Tara-pancakes. But Xander, I am not doing this for you; I'm doing this for Leila. It's her birthday and plus if Tara were here, she'd want Leila to have them too."

Leila quickly hugged Dawn thank you, then squirmed out of Dawn's arms, laughing. She ran to Xander and gave him a high-five. "I did it!"

"Hey Xander, that's not fair. You used a cute little girl just to get pancakes." Buffy said as she sat on the counter, drinking her morning coffee. "How about we go start fixing that fence while Dawn makes the pancakes?"

Xander picked Leila up, placing her on the counter next to Buffy. "I would like to get that fixed at least before the next demon goes through it." He laughed. "Dawn send Leila out to tell us when the pancakes are ready."

"It will be about 20 minutes, but I'll send her." Dawn replied, taking Leila's hand as the little girl jumped down from the counter.

"I help make pancakes like Mama did?" Leila asked Dawn, as Buffy and Xander left the kitchen.

Once they were outside, Buffy turned to Xander. "I didn't want to mention anything in the kitchen because Leila was there; but did you hear what happened last night??"

"About what? Willow getting drunk or Oz being back?"

"Willow got drunk?" Buffy asked in shock. "But she never drinks."

"Kennedy told me that Willow got drunk last night and passed out. I asked Willow about it this morning and that is when she told me that Oz is back in town. How did you know that he was back?" Xander inquired as he removed a broken panel from the fence post and passed it to Buffy.

"Spike told me this morning when he got back from the Magic Shop. Oz went there last night but Spike doesn't know why. He thinks that maybe Oz is looking for Willow." Buffy felt sorry for her best friend. Willow worked hard to maintain a semi-normal life for Leila, despite the whole fighting evil thing. But now that Oz was back, she knew that things would now be different. Buffy wondered how Willow planned to tell Oz about Leila, or even if she planned on telling him at all.

"And where is our favorite vampire this morning?"

"Spike is sleeping; I think that Leila wore him out last night." Buffy laughed.

Xander took a new unbroken panel from Buffy and began nailing it onto the fence post. "Don't laugh, that girl has a lot of energy in her. It has to be the werewolf."

"Talking about me?"

Both Xander and Buffy turned to the source of the question. Oz.

Chapter. 6

"Talking about me?" Oz asked. He wondered why Buffy and Xander were talking about werewolves.

Buffy was shocked by Oz's sudden appearance; she didn't know what to say. She had known that he was back in town but she hadn't expected him to show up at the Slayer School, at least not this soon. "We weren't talking about you. We were just…"

"Oz, it's been awhile. Where have you been?" Xander interrupted, he had a feeling that if Buffy had continued to talk, she might have said something that they would both regret.

Oz watched the looks exchanged between the two friends, he knew that there was something going on. "I've been pretty much everywhere. I need to talk to you guys?"

Xander turned to Buffy and asked. "Buff, why don't you go check on breakfast? I'll talk to Oz and that way NO ONE will interrupt us."

"That's a really good idea. You stay here and talk to Oz. I'll send someone to come and get you when breakfast is ready and that way I can stop you-know-who from coming out." Buffy answered nervously. She knew that Willow had to be the one to tell Oz about Leila. But she also knew that Willow wasn't ready to tell him and if Leila were to run up to them, Oz might start asking questions that they wouldn't be able to answer. "Actually, I'm going to go do that right now. Later, Oz." She turned and began walking back towards the house.

Once Xander was sure that he and Oz were alone, he turned to Oz and asked. "So, what brings you back to our wonderful Hellmouth?"

Oz shifted from one foot to the other. He knew that once he told Xander about the little girl, there was no taking it back. But he was growing desperate, he knew that there was only one night left of the full moon to find her in her possible wolf shape. "I need your help. I have to find someone."

"Is it Willow?"

"I do want to see her. But she's not the reason that I'm here." Oz knew that he was about to pass the point of no return. "I'm here to find a little girl. I came back because a seer told me that this little girl needs my help."

Xander was confused. Oz came back to help a little girl, but who? "And you want us to help you find her? Who's the little girl that you're looking for, anyways?"

"That's the thing, I don't know her name. But I have reason to think that you might know her and that is why I am coming to you. I'm pretty sure that I found her last night. But I think that Spike was protecting her."

It then hit Xander. Spike was babysitting Leila the night before at The Magic Box. The little girl that Oz was looking for was Leila. Xander knew that he had to find out why Oz was sent to help her. "Is she in danger?"

"So you know who she is?" Oz asked.

"Is she in danger?" Xander repeated, his voice rising. If Leila was in danger they needed to know, they needed to have extra protection around her. Even though he wasn't her father, Xander often felt like he was. Willow was his best friend and Leila being a part of her, instantly made Leila important to him.

Oz found it odd that Xander immediately become very agitated when he mentioned the little girl. But one thing was for sure; Xander knew exactly who this little girl was. "Xander, listen to me, this little girl needs my help. Just tell me who she is, I need to find her."

Xander knew that he had to get to Willow and tell her the reason that Oz was back. "Oz, I can't tell you anything right now. But trust me, you don't have to worry about this little girl. She's protected."

"It's not that you can't tell me, you won't tell me. Tonight is the last night of the three wolf moons. Now tell me who she is." Oz began to grow impatient. He was now certain that Xander knew who the little girl was and most likely where Oz could find her.

-- --

"Will, what are you thinking about?"

"I was thinking about how much my life has changed in the last 24 hours. When I woke up yesterday, everything was normal. I woke up to Leila screaming for breakfast, I got her ready and brought her to the Slayer School while I finished getting things ready for the latest Slayer Exams and Leila's party. But now, everything is going to be different. I mean, Oz is back and of all days for him to return, it had to be today, Leila's birthday. But there is one thing that I know for sure; I am not ready to see Oz yet." Willow replied, staring straight ahead to the road in front of her, as she drove towards the Slayer School. "Or for him to find out about Leila."

Kennedy gently placed her hand on Willow's thigh, in reassurance. "Willow, you're strong, you can do this. You're a great mother and I know that you'll make the best decision about what to do with Oz. But here's one thing that I'll promise you, I going make sure that this Oz guy doesn't come around you or Leila until you want him to."

"We're not your responsibility anymore. I can take care of this. This is my mess and I have to clean it up. But thank you, I know that you'd do anything to protect Leila." Willow took her right hand off of the steering wheel and took Kennedy's left into her own.

"Even if we aren't together anymore, it doesn't mean that I won't do everything in my power to make sure that no one ever hurts you or that beautiful daughter of yours."

"So are we good for the party this afternoon?" Willow asked, deciding to change the subject before her thoughts about Oz distracted her even more from what was truly important, celebrating her daughter's birthday.

Kennedy looked out the window as they approached the slayer house. She had not been back to the Slayer School since her relationship with Willow had ended, almost 3 months before. Both women decided that they were at different points in their lives and each wanted and needed different things from their relationship. But in the end, Willow was the one who decided that it was time that the relationship ended. That was when Kennedy decided to leave Sunnydale for Cleveland and join Faith's team. "As far as I know, everything is ready for the party. We almost had a problem but everything appears like it's going to turn out okay. You know the song that I wanted to sing for Leila? Well, the guitarist, that I asked Rona to find, cancelled on us at the last minute. But luckily this guy, that I met at the bar last night, offered to play for us."

"Oh who is it?"

"I don't know, I didn't think to ask his name. But he isn't a vampire, I would have sensed that about him. He seems like a total normal guy. Don't worry, everything will be fine."

As they approached the large stone mansion, Kennedy was happy that nothing had changed. Leila's toys still littered the front yard and Xander appeared to still be fixing the same fence as always. But this time he was talking to another guy, someone that Kennedy couldn't identify as they pulled into the driveway. "Xander! Get back to work!" Kennedy yelled from the passenger side window. She then turned to Willow and asked: "Who's Xander talking to?"


	7. Chapter 6

_Author's Note: I am sooo sorry that it has taken this long to post another chapter. I just had the most amazing birthday week with some friends from out of town! And I want to thank everyone who took the time to post a reply, letting me know what you thought about the last chapter. Please continue to post the replies... Don't worry you won't have to wait long for another chapter, it is pretty much halfway done. Thank you guys again for replying._

Chapter. 6

"Talking about me?" Oz asked. He wondered why Buffy and Xander were talking about werewolves.

Buffy was shocked by Oz's sudden appearance, she didn't know what to say. She had known that he was back in town but she hadn't expected him to show up at the Slayer School, at least not this soon. "We weren't talking about you. We were just…"

"Oz, it's been awhile. Where have you been?" Xander interrupted, he had a feeling that if Buffy had continued to talk, she might have said something that they would both regret.

Oz watched the looks exchanged between the two friends, he knew that there was something going on. "I've been pretty much everywhere. I need to talk to you guys?"

Xander turned to Buffy and asked. "Buff, why don't you go check on breakfast? I'll talk to Oz and that way NO ONE will interrupt us."

"That's a really good idea. You stay here and talk to Oz. I'll send someone to come and get you when breakfast is ready and that way I can stop you-know-who from coming out." Buffy answered nervously. She knew that Willow had to be the one to tell Oz about Leila. But she also knew that Willow wasn't ready to tell him and if Leila were to run up to them, Oz might start asking questions that they wouldn't be able to answer. "Actually, I'm going to go do that right now. Later, Oz." She turned and began walking back towards the house.

Once Xander was sure that he and Oz were alone, he turned to Oz and asked. "So, what brings you our wonderful Hellmouth?"

Oz shifted from one foot to the other. He knew that once he told Xander about the little girl, there was no taking it back. But he was growing desperate, he knew that there was only one night left of the full moon to find her in her possible wolf shape. "I need your help. I have to find someone."

"Is it Willow?"

"I do want to see her. But she's not the reason that I'm here." Oz knew that he was about to pass the point of no return. "I'm here to find a little girl. I came back because a seer told me that this little girl needs my help."

Xander was confused. Oz came back to help a little girl, but who? "And you want us to help you find her? Who's the little girl that you're looking for, anyways?"

"That's the thing, I don't know her name. But I have reason to think that you might know her and that is why I am coming to you. I'm pretty sure that I found her last night. But I think that Spike was protecting her."

It then hit Xander. Spike was babysitting Leila the night before at The Magic Box. The little girl that Oz was looking for was Leila. Xander knew that he had to find out why Oz was sent to help her. "Is she in danger?"

"So you know who she is?" Oz asked.

"Is she in danger?" Xander repeated, his voice rising. If Leila was in danger they needed to know, they needed to have extra protection around her. Even though he wasn't her father, Xander often felt like he was. Willow was his best friend and Leila being a part of her, instantly made Leila important to him.

Oz found it odd that Xander immediately become very agitated when he mentioned the little girl. But one thing was for sure; Xander knew exactly who this little girl was. "Xander, listen to me, this little girl needs my help. Just tell me who she is, I need to find her."

Xander knew that he had to get to Willow and tell her the reason that Oz was back. "Oz, I can't tell you anything right now. But trust me, you don't have to worry about this little girl. She's protected."

"It's not that you can't tell me, you won't tell me. Tonight is the last night of the three wolf moons. Now tell me who she is." Oz began to grow impatient. He was now certain that Xander knew who the little girl was and most likely where Oz could find her.

-- --

"Will, what are you thinking about?"

"I was thinking about how much my life has changed in the last 24 hours. When I woke up yesterday, everything was normal. I woke up to Leila screaming for breakfast, I got her ready and brought her to the Slayer School while I finished getting things ready for the latest Slayer Exams and Leila's party. But now, everything is going to be different. I mean, Oz is back and of all days for him to return, it had to be today, Leila's birthday. But there is one thing that I know for sure; I am not ready to see Oz yet." Willow replied, staring straight ahead to the road in front of her, as she drove towards the Slayer School. "Or for him to find out about Leila."

Kennedy gently placed her hand on Willow's thigh, in reassurance. "Willow, you're strong, you can do this. You're a great mother and I know that you'll make the best decision about what to do with Oz. But here's one thing that I'll promise you, I going make sure that this Oz guy doesn't come around you or Leila until you want him to."

"We're not your responsibility anymore. I can take care of this. This is my mess and I have to clean it up. But thank you, I know that you'd do anything to protect Leila." Willow took her right hand off of the steering wheel and took Kennedy's left into her own.

"Even if we aren't together anymore, it doesn't mean that I won't do everything in my power to make sure that no one ever hurts you or that beautiful daughter of yours."

"So are we good for the party this afternoon?" Willow asked, deciding to change the subject before her thoughts about Oz distracted her even more from what was truly important, celebrating her daughter's birthday.

Kennedy looked out the window as they approached the slayer house. She had not been back to the Slayer School since her relationship with Willow had ended, almost 3 months before. Both women decided that they were at different points in their lives and each wanted and needed different things from their relationship. But in the end, Willow was the one who decided that it was time that the relationship ended. That was when Kennedy decided to leave Sunnydale for Cleveland and join Faith's team. "As far as I know, everything is ready for the party. We almost had a problem but everything appears like it's going to turn out okay. You know the song that I wanted to sing for Leila? Well, the guitarist, that I asked Rona to find, cancelled on us at the last minute. But luckily this guy, that I met at the bar last night, offered to play for us."

"Oh who is it?"

"I don't know, I didn't think to ask his name. But he isn't a vampire, I would have sensed that about him. He seems like a total normal guy. Don't worry, everything will be fine."

As they approached the large stone mansion, Kennedy was happy that nothing had changed. Leila's toys still littered the front yard and Xander appeared to still be fixing the same fence as always. But this time he was talking to another guy, someone that Kennedy couldn't identify as they pulled into the driveway. "Xander! Get back to work!" Kennedy yelled from the passenger side window. She then turned to Willow and asked: "Who's Xander talking to?"


	8. Chapter 7

_Author's Note: Thank you to those who replied on the last chapter. Enjoy this chapter and please keep replyi_ng. _The next chapter of this story will be about the letter and the party. Oz and Willow come face-to-face. So the more replies that this chapter gets, the faster the next one will be posted. For those readers who also enjoy my other fanfic "Choices", a new chapter will hopefully be posted tomorrow, at the latest on Thursday._

Chapter. 7

Willow was able to see Xander in the far corner of the backyard. But she couldn't tell who the other person was, he had his back to them. "Maybe Xander's met a new friend. I keep telling him that he needs to find some male friends. I don't think that it's healthy that he spends all his time with women. He's always either with Anya, here at the school surrounded by females, or at my house."

Kennedy laughed. "I'm surprised that Anya lets him out of her sight with this many young single slayers around. What does Xander say when you tell him that he needs to have some guy friends?"

Willow parked the car, right behind Xander's truck. "He tells me that if I had had a boy instead of a girl, he wouldn't be the only guy around. I told him that it wasn't something that I was able to control. When Oz was here, they became pretty good friends but Xander really hasn't any other guy friends since then. Sure, he got along with Riley but they were just too different."

"Then I guess that it's a good thing that Xander isn't talking to someone with breasts." Kennedy laughed in response. "I hope that they left some pancakes for us. I'm starved."

"When aren't you starved? And since Xander is standing outside, I have a feeling that breakfast hasn't been served yet. Which means that I still have a chance of controlling how much sugar my already hyper daughter consumes." Willow laughed as she climbed out of the car and followed Kennedy through the mansion's back door.

-- --

Xander turned around as he heard someone yell his name. He saw that it was Kennedy and immediately realized that it meant that Willow was with her. Xander knew that he had to get rid of Oz before Willow came out looking for him. "Well that is my cue to go in. Whenever Kennedy arrives, it means that there will be a fight for food. You have no idea how much slayers can eat. So don't worry about anything, we've got it covered. I'll see you again soon. Later." Xander said as he quickly walked away from Oz. Not allowing Oz the time to say anything before he left.

Oz stood alone in the yard, trying to figure out what had just happened. One minute, he was talking to Xander and then Xander was gone. He left without answering Oz's question. Who was the little girl? Oz was pretty certain that Xander knew who the little girl was but he also knew that Xander wouldn't tell him her identity, which made Oz curious. Xander was hiding something and if Xander was still the same person as he was when Oz last saw him, it could only mean one thing. Xander was protecting a Scooby member or someone close to the Scoobies. That was when Oz had an idea, he would follow Xander, knowing that Xander would likely lead Oz right to the little girl.

He looked down at his watch, there was two hours left before the party. He knew that if he wanted Xander to lead him to the little girl, he would have to stay far enough behind so that Buffy or one of the other slayers wouldn't be able to sense him.

Oz grabbed his guitar and started walking towards The Bronze, knowing that he needed more time to figure out his plan before he had to started following Xander. He had to figure out exactly what he would do once he found the little girl. But his plan had one possible complication, by keeping an eye on Xander there was a good chance that he would see Willow again. His Will. Even though they hadn't seen each other in almost 5 years, there wasn't a day that went by that Oz didn't think about Willow. Sure there had been other women but no one compared to her.

Every night when he closed his eyes, she was the only thing that he could see; images of her smiling at him, the look of her face when she found him naked in the cage with Veruca and many more. 'Is she still with Tara? Or is she with someone else now?' He thought to himself. He knew that he would get answers to his questions soon enough.

-- --

"Hi Mommy!" Leila screamed as Willow followed Kennedy into the kitchen.

"Hi, my beautiful girl. I think that Mommy needs a hug." Willow said, handing Kennedy her bags as she picked up Leila. Willow closed her eyes as she held her daughter tightly in her arms.

Slowly Leila pulled slightly away from Willow. She looked into Willow's eyes for a few minutes, as if trying to read her mother's thoughts. "Mommy, why you scared?"

Willow looked at Kennedy, Buffy and Dawn then back at her daughter. She knew that there was no point in lying to Leila; Leila was able to read emotions and auras. A power that she inherited from Tara. "Nothing for you to be worried about. An old friend of Mommy's is in town and I'm just a little nervous about seeing him again. That's all that you are sensing."

From the look on Leila's face, Willow could tell that her daughter didn't believe her. She knew that she had to distract the little girl, before Leila started asking questions. Because once Leila started asking questions, the questions never seemed to end. Her thirst for knowledge made Willow proud but Willow also knew that now wasn't the time. "Leila, do you know that there's only 2 hours left till your party?"

Leila looked around at the others excitedly, as if waiting for them to acknowledge what her mother had said. As soon as she noticed Xander walking into the kitchen, she wiggled from her mother's arms and ran to him. "Uncle Xander! Mommy said 2 hours to cake time!" Leila announced joyfully showing him two fingers.

Xander quickly looked over his shoulder, making sure that Oz hadn't followed him into the mansion. Once he was sure that he had walked in alone, he picked up the bouncing little redhead. "Well I guess if we only have 2 hours left before the party, we should get down to those pancakes. Dawn, are they ready yet?" Leila reminded him so much of Willow when she was younger, he wondered if Leila would turn out to be as great of a woman as her mother. But when Leila sensed danger, she changed becoming stoic. It was then that Xander was reminded that even though Oz wasn't a part of her life, he was a part of her.

Dawn placed two plates full of pancakes on the kitchen table. "The only thing that I ask is that someone keeps at least one for me. Please?"

"I'm not keeping any promises. I remember living here and there was never any fresh breakfast left. Once those slayers upstairs smell this food, they'll be down here in seconds. And once they get at this pancakes, there won't be any left for anyone." Kennedy laughed.

"Which one mine?" Leila asked excitedly, eyeing the large stacks of pancakes in front of her.

"The funny shaped one is for you, Lei. Just like your Momma used to make me." Dawn replied, smiling at Willow as she answered Leila's question.

Willow looked back at Dawn and smiled. She appreciated the fact that all the Scoobies constantly reminded Leila of Tara. Even though Leila was only a year and a half old when Tara died, Willow wanted the little girl to always know that her Momma loved her more than anything and that a part of Tara would always with her.

"Will, can I talk to you for a second?" Buffy asked. She knew that she had to give Willow something personal and she had to give it to Willow when she was alone.

"Sure, Buff." Willow replied. She turned to Xander and asked: "Can you make sure that my daughter doesn't get trampled when all the slayers come down for breakfast? And please don't let her get too sticky with the syrup. The last time that we had pancakes, I swear that I was washing syrup out of her hair for a week." Everyone laughed, remembering the pancake fight that Leila and Xander had started on Buffy's birthday.

"I'll try my best, Will. But I make no promises." Xander replied as Buffy and Willow left the room.

Buffy led Willow up the stairs and into the slayer's bedroom. Once inside the room, Buffy walked over to her closet and took a small box off the top shelf. She had made a promise over two years before that should Oz ever return, Buffy would give the box to Willow. She wasn't sure what was in the box but she had a feeling that it might help Willow with a bit of her nervousness regarding Oz's return.

Willow began to grow nervous as she watched Buffy grab something from her closet. The slayer hadn't said a word since they left the kitchen. "What did you want to talk about?"

Buffy turned around to face her best friend. "Nothing. But I do have something to give you." Buffy held out the box in front of her.

Willow took the box and asked: "What is it? If it's a present for Leila, you could have just given it to her at the party."

"It isn't for Leila, it's for you. And I don't know what is in it. I was just told to give it to you if Oz ever came back to Sunnydale."

"Who gave it to you?" Willow asked. She was curious about the contents of the box but she was also nervous not knowing whom it was from. "Why did you have to wait till Oz returned before you gave this to me?"

"You'll know who it's from when you open it. Something tells me that you should be alone when you open it. I'll just be downstairs in the kitchen with the others eating breakfast, if you need me." Buffy said as she left the bedroom, leaving Willow alone with the box. .

Once Willow was alone, she walked over to the bed and placed the box on her lap. She knew that the contents had something to do with Oz but she couldn't figure out whom it was from. Willow took a deep breath as she opened the box. Inside of the box was a letter and a single red rose. She could sense magic coming from the rose and as soon as she opened the letter, she knew instantly whom the box was from. Tara.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter. 8

Willow began to cry as she took the rose out of the box. She slowly brought it up to her nose, deeply inhaling the scent. Willow expected the rose to smell like a rose, but it didn't. The rose carried Tara's scent. She smiled as she realized that Tara must have placed a spell on the rose.

As she softly placed the rose back in the box, she removed the letter. Willow was unsure of what the letter said but she knew that as long as it was from Tara, it couldn't be bad. Before she opened the letter, Willow made sure to grab the box of tissues that sat on the bedside table. She knew that once the memories of Tara started, normally so did the tears. Willow then slowly opened the letter, wanting to treasure Tara's words.

_My dear Willow, _

_If you are reading this, I am not there to be with you for this significant moment in both your and Leila's lives. As I'm writing this, we are currently living separate lives due to the fact that magic has come between us. But I spoke to Buffy today and she told me that you were doing extremely well with your addiction. I am so proud of you and I know that you will beat this, not only for Leila but for yourself as well. I have hope that we will find our way back to each other soon. _

_But if there is another reason that we are not together as you read this, then I want you to know that how much I love you and how I know that we are soul mates now and forever. I want you to know that I'll be waiting for you in heaven. But I want you to find love, find someone who will love you and Leila as I love the both of you. _

_No matter what, I know that you believe as I do that Leila is our daughter and nothing will ever change that. Not even when Oz returns. Oz is the reason why I've asked Buffy to give you this letter. Please don't be mad at her for keeping this from you, I made her promise me and as you know, Buffy keeps her promises. _

_No matter what you may decide to do with Oz's return, he is and always will be Leila's father and therefore a part of who she is as a person. And she has a right to know everything about herself, including the Oz part of her. There will come a day when she asks about who her father is, and that day might already have happened. But you have to be prepared in how you're going to answer that question because that answer, will be the answer that she bases her opinion of her father on. _

_There is also another side to this situation. Oz. He does have a right to know Leila and I think that he should. Leila is a bright ray of sunshine, just like her mommy and because Oz loved you, and probably a part of him still does, he will definitely love his daughter. _

_In the end it is up to you, whether or not you decide to tell him about Leila. I just hope that you make the right decision for yourself and Leila, and not allow someone else to influence your decision. _

_So many people love her, allow them to and don't push them away. I know that you want to protect Leila and you need to. She is a very powerful little girl and can do great things in her life. But without the proper guidance, those great things can mean death and destruction. She has the powers of two witches, with very different abilities, and a werewolf. You can help her with witchcraft but not with the werewolf part of her. The only one who could do that is another werewolf, Oz._

_I love you and always will, please never forget that and never allow Leila to forget it either. I know that you will make the right choice. No matter what you decide, know that I support your decision fully._

_I promise you that one day, we will hold each other again and I too also keep my promises._

_Yours Always,_

_Tara._

Just as Willow finished the letter, she noticed that the box of tissues, that had just been full, now sat empty. She stared back at the letter and gently traced Tara's name with her finger. Her Tara had taken the time, while they were broken up, to write a letter letting her know who much she was loved by the blond witch.

She loved the fact that Tara had always considered Leila as their daughter. Willow remembered how scared she was when she found out that she was pregnant. She was afraid that Tara was going to leave her but instead of leaving, Tara took her hand and promised her that she would be around as long as Willow wanted. That was the most defining moment in their relationship. From that day forward the couple came inseparable; that was until Willow allowed her abuse of magic to get between them.

Willow still regretted the pain that she put both Tara and Leila through. But even though it was difficult for Tara to be around Willow, it didn't affect the way that Tara felt towards Leila. "I promise you, Tara, I will never let Leila forget you. Just like I'll never forget you." She promised aloud.

Willow was about to place the letter back in the box with the rose when she was startled by a knock on the door. "Come in." Willow answered, wondering who was on the other side of the door.

Just then a tall, muscular man walked into the room. Willow smiled as he pulled her into his arms.

"Courtin, how did you know that I needed that?" Willow asked while returning the hug.

"Buffy told me that you were up here. She also told me that you probably wanted some time alone. But with Oz being back in town, I had to come and check on you and Leila, myself. So how are you doing? Has he been around yet?" Courtin asked. He was concerned that Oz could be a complication in his plan for a possible future with both Willow and Leila.

"How do you know that Oz in back in town?" Willow paused for a moment before she realized how Courtin knew. "Last night was the full moon, and while you and the rest of the pack were all wolfy, you caught his scent."

"Yes, we did follow his scent. But we didn't know who we were following, we just knew that we were following another werewolf. The scent led us to some guy walking down the street. I didn't know what I was dealing with, so I was just going to run it out of town when Jordy stopped me. He told me that the guy was his cousin Oz. That's when I put two and two together and figured out that your Oz and this one must be one and the same. Plus I thought that you really wouldn't like it if I had ran him out of town." Courtin replied as he led Willow back over to the bed, motioning for her to sit next to him.

That was when Courtin noticed the letter in Willow's hand and the rose that sat in a box next to her. "Are those from him?"

Willow looked down at the letter one last time before placing back in the box with the rose. "No, it isn't from Oz. It's from Tara, Buffy gave it to me. Tara asked her to hold onto the letter for her, in case Tara couldn't be here herself when Oz returned."

"Does Tara think that you should tell him about Leila?"

Willow nodded in response.

"That's what confuses me, she was with you when he left the second time and saw the pain that it caused you. Yet she still thinks that him being here, is a good idea?" Courtin didn't see things from Tara's point of view. He didn't know the blond witch personally yet he felt as though he had. There were many nights in the last year that he simply listened as Willow spent hours talking about Tara and the love that they shared.

"She thinks that Leila needs to know the werewolf side of who she is and the only way that it's going to happen is if I tell Oz that he has a daughter. No matter what he's done, he doesn't deserve to find that out from someone else."

He knew that there was a good chance that Oz had already caught Leila's scent since it was instinctive for a werewolf to follow the scent of another. If he had, he probably already knew that there was something odd about her scent.

Courtin believed that Willow was taking a risk by allowing him back into her life and into Leila's. "He'll leave again as soon as things get tough. He's done it before, meaning that he could easily do it again."

"But he came back…"

"Oz did come back except he left again as soon as he found out about you and Tara. How do you think that he'll react to finding out that he has a daughter?"

Willow understood what Courtin was saying. She asked herself the same question many times before. But Leila was her main concern and she deserved to know who her father was. "I understand why Oz left, it would have been too painful for him to stay. And I wouldn't wish pain like that on anyone, not even him."

Courtin gently took Willow's hand in his own. "Which proves how much of an amazing woman you are. You don't want to see him hurt even though he's hurt you not once but twice. It's Oz's own fault that he missed out on Leila's life. He should have been here, a pup needs someone to show them how to control the wolf inside."

"I can't thank you enough for being there for Leila and for me. But we're not your responsibility. Now that Oz is back, I have to tell him that Leila is his daughter. I'm not doing this in any way for him, I'm doing it for Leila."

Courtin waked his fingers through his hair in frustration. "And what if he can't handle the news and takes off again?"

"If he leaves, then life will continue without him. Leila and I have been without him for 4 years now and we're okay. We're lucky enough to have a lot of people around us who love us." Willow knew that there was a chance that once he found out that he was a father, he would panic and leave town again. But a part of her had faith in the Oz that she knew and fell in love with. She hoped that he would embrace the news and take an active role in Leila's life.

"I just don't want to see you get hurt."

Willow was thankful to have Courtin and the rest of the werewolf pack in her life and Leila's. They had accepted Leila as one of their own even though she wasn't exactly like them. "Even if Oz stays in Sunnydale, it doesn't mean that we are ever going to get back together. If he does stay it will only be for Leila's sake."

"Well I might not be able to change your mind but there is one thing that I can control. Oz isn't welcome anywhere near the pack and that includes when Leila's with us."

"I can understand that and I don't see a reason to fight you on that matter. Leila needs the pack, she's part of the pack."

"And we need her, maybe not right now but I'm sure that her own unique abilities will benefit the pack in the future." Courtin had spent the last year, patiently waiting for Willow to get past her relationship with Kennedy and the ghosts of her past. He had hoped that she would eventually see him as more than just a friend and possibly return the feelings that he had for her. But with Oz's return, the chances of that happening were slim.

"So are you just here to check up on me or are you here to help with the party." Willow asked, wanting to change the topic.

"Both, actually. The whole pack is here, I think that they're having breakfast downstairs." Courtin replied.

Willow laughed as she opened the bedroom door. "I guess that I'm really not having breakfast this morning. I highly doubt that Dawn made enough for the Scoobies, Leila, 18 young slayers and now 7 werewolves."

"Poor Dawn. I really think that you guys should look into hiring a cook."

"I think that we need a full catering service when we feed this many people. I just hope with that many people around, someone has made sure that Leila hasn't showered herself in syrup." Willow cringed as she remembered the last time that she had to wash maple syrup out of her daughter's long red hair.

As Courtin followed Willow out of the room, he replied. "Actually, Xander and Kennedy have already left with Leila. Don't worry, Buffy made sure that Leila was clean but your little one still refuses to take off the pink tutu and orange Scooby-Doo t-shirt."

-- --

Oz couldn't believe that he was back in The Bronze. Nothing inside of the club had changed since the last time that he had been in Sunnydale. He took his time walking around the club, wanting to cherish the memories that began to flood his mind.

But his walk down memory lane was interrupted when he heard the sound of people approaching the club entrance. He quickly made his way to the stage and hid behind a large stack of speakers. Oz watched as the young woman that he had met the night before, walked into the club. He was about to walk towards Ken when he noticed that she wasn't alone.

"Xander, put the presents on the table over there. I think that Rona's probably still getting things ready backstage since she didn't come back to the school with the other slayers for breakfast. How about you start getting the tables ready and I'll go find her?" Kennedy said as she climbed onto the stage.

"Wait! Kennedy, where's Leila?" Xander asked, quickly turning around hoping to see Leila standing behind him except she was nowhere to be seen.

Kennedy spun around, almost falling off the stage at the mention of Leila missing. "Where is she? If anything happens to Leila, Willow's going to kill us and I really don't feel like having my girl fillet me alive."

From behind the speakers, Oz was able to hear the whole conversation between Xander and Kennedy. The mention of Willow's name caught his attention. He hoped that they wouldn't notice him standing there; he wanted to hear the rest of their conversation. Oz wondered who this Leila was and why she was so important to Willow.

"Willow isn't your girl anymore. And now that Oz is back in town, I think you might have some competition when it comes to her." Xander laughed as he walked back towards the door, looking for Leila.

"Do you think that he's back to try and win her back?" Kennedy hadn't even considered the fact that Oz might go after Willow.

Xander quickly checked under a tablecloth, hoping to find Leila hiding underneath. "Oz didn't tell me that that was why he's back but they do have a past. And with a past like theirs and a life like ours, anything can happen."

Oz was confused. He had heard Xander tell Kennedy that Willow didn't belong to her anymore. That could only mean that Willow had at one time been with Kennedy, which also meant that Willow and Tara were no more. Oz knew that if he understood everything correctly, it meant that Willow, his Willow, was now single. Unless this Leila person was Willow's new love.

"Leila! Where are you?" Xander continued calling out.

"Uncle Xander, I up here!" Leila immediately answered from the top of the balcony, sensing the fear in Xander's voice.

Kennedy looked up at the balcony and noticed Leila trying to climb over the railing. "Leila, don't you dare climb over that! Get your little butt down here."

Xander walked over to where Kennedy stood, in order to get a better view of Leila. He could tell that Leila's intent was to jump from the balcony. She had recently started pushing the limits of her abilities but he knew that he didn't want her testing. Xander had seen her jump many times from things that were about 6 feet high and land perfectly on her feet but this balcony was a different story, it stood at least 20 to 25 feet high. "Leila, You heard Kennedy. Now go back to the stairs and get down here that way."

From where Oz stood, he wasn't able to see exactly who 'Leila' was. But by the sound of her voice, it was evident to him that it belonged to a little girl. As Oz moved behind the speakers in order to try and get a better view of her, he suddenly caught a familiar scent. It belonged to the little girl he was searching for. Oz began to put the pieces of what he had seen and heard since returning to Sunnydale, together. The little girl on the balcony, was the same little girl that he had found the night before, the one who was in danger. Her name was Leila and she was important to Willow.

Leila waved as she looked down towards Xander and Kennedy. "Hi Uncle Xander! Look at me!"

"Leila, stop it. Go back to the stairs and use them." Xander repeated, allowing his voice to grow a little stern.

"Okay." Leila replied as she walked away from the railing and began climbing down the stairs. But halfway down the stairs, she stopped.

Oz now had a clearer view of the little girl and she was in fact the one that he had been searching for.

"She wouldn't." Kennedy looked over to Xander and whispered, as Leila stopped halfway down the stairs.

At the exact moment that those words left Kennedy's mouth, Leila jumped from the staircase, landing perfectly on her feet. As she stood back up, she looked up at Xander and Kennedy, clearly pleased with her accomplishment.

Xander turned to Kennedy and replied. "And she did." Xander then walked over to Leila and knelt in front of the little girl. "Leila, you didn't listen to us. We told you to climb down the stairs, not jump. Because you didn't listen, what do you think we should tell your mom?"

"No…No… I sorry. Please don't tell Mommy. Please." Leila begged.

"How about we give her a break, just this once. It's her birthday and we don't want Willow being in a bad mood all day." Kennedy added.

Xander thought about it for a moment, he didn't want Willow to have more on her mind than she already did, with Oz's return. "Okay, I won't tell your mommy this time, but if you do it again, then I have to. I don't want your mom to get mad at me and put a spell on me."

Leila nodded in agreement, as she began to pout.

Kennedy quickly changed the subject, knowing that once Leila started crying there was no stopping it. "Xander, how about you start decorating the tables with Leila and I'll go find Rona? She's probably backstage and it might had some excitement to this party if Willow did put a spell on you."

"She gonna turn you into a frog." Leila replied, her frown quickly disappeared as she began to laugh hysterically at her own joke.

"Come on, Birthday Girl, you can help me get the decorations out of my truck. But no trying to peak at your presents." Xander said as he walked over to Leila and swung the little girl into his arms.

Kennedy couldn't help but start to laugh as Leila's laughter filled the room.

Hearing the little girls laughter made Oz smile. He was grateful that Xander and Kennedy had not noticed him standing behind the speakers, he had learnt more from listening to them than he had since he started his search for the little girl. Oz now knew that the little girl's name was Leila, she was the birthday girl and that Willow was her mother. He wondered who Leila's father was.

"What is it, Leila?" Xander knew that something was wrong as Leila stopped laughing and her eyes locking on the speakers. But from where Xander stood, he couldn't see anything out of the ordinary with the speakers. Xander couldn't see anyone or anything there; therefore he turned and started walking out of the club with Leila in his arms. He figured that she was probably only catching the scent of Rona or possibly another one of the slayers who worked at The Bronze. "Let's go get those presents now." He said as they exited the club.

Oz looked around the speaker and watched as Xander left the club with Leila. Oz was too occupied watching Leila; he hadn't noticed someone walk up behind him until they tapped him on the shoulder. Oz quickly spun around to find Kennedy standing in front of him.

"Did I scare you or something? Because if I did, you are seriously not meant to be in this town." Kennedy asked. She had seen the look exchanged between Oz and Leila as Xander left the club with the little girl. Something about exchange made Kennedy feel very uncomfortable.

"You just caught me off guard. I don't scare very easily, I've seen things that you wouldn't believe." Oz answered, as he caught Willow's scent coming off of Kennedy. He could sense the wolf in him trying to free itself, just as it had when he confronted Tara about her relationship with Willow. This time the strength of the scent wasn't as powerful but it still meant that Willow had at least hugged Kennedy multiple times.

Kennedy laughed, she doubted that he had seen anything compared to her. Being a second-generation slayer meant that you fought vampires, demons and other weird creepy things, everyday. "How did you find the song? I know that it is a little childish, but as you saw, the birthday girl is only turning 4 years old. So it fits her age group. Are you okay? I saw the way that you were watching her."

"The song's okay. The little girl just looks a little familiar." Oz had a feeling that Kennedy could possibly answer some of his unanswered questions. "Who is she?"

Kennedy knew that there was and had always been an unspoken rule that no one was to talk about Leila to anyone because they never knew who was a demon or working for one. But this guy seemed normal; something inside of her told her that he was no danger to them or Leila. "Her name is Leila and she's my girlfriend's, I mean my ex-girlfriend's daughter."

"You're ex-girlfriend? I'm sorry that's none of my business."

"No, it's fine. Yes, I like women and even though I now live in Cleveland, my ex-girlfriend and I still work closely together." Kennedy replied, there was something about this guy that instantly made Kennedy comfortable talking to him. "My ex-girlfriend's name is Willow, she's amazing. I don't know how anyone could do all of the things that she does. She takes care of her daughter, she teaches at the school and she runs this place."

Oz looked around at The Bronze, it hadn't changed one bit since he had last been there with the rest of the Scoobies. "Willow owns The Bronze?"

Something about Oz's reaction made Kennedy uneasy. "Do you know her? I'm sorry, I didn't get your name."

Oz wasn't sure if Kennedy knew about his relationship with Willow but he knew that he now had to talk to Willow, especially since the little girl in danger was her daughter. "I'm Oz, and you can say that I know Willow. Well, I used to."

"Oz…" Kennedy face went white as she realized who the man standing in front of her was.

"So you've heard of me." Oz wondered how much Kennedy knew about his past with Willow and how much more information he would now get from Kennedy.

Kennedy knew that if Willow, or anyone, were to find out that she had talked to Oz about Leila, she would be dead. She also knew that Willow was still unsure if she was going to tell Oz about Leila or not. But now Oz probably knew enough to put the pieces together himself. "I have, kinda."

"Kinda?"

"Yeah, I knew that Willow had dated a guy before Tara and that his name was Oz. That's about it."

Oz wasn't sure how he felt about Kennedy. She seemed normal and yet the fact that she had once dated Willow and still clearly had feelings for the witch, made him weary. But the idea of Willow having a daughter, blew Oz's mind. Of course he had spent many nights dreaming of having a family with Willow, but he had never imagined that Willow would have started a family with someone else. He wondered who the lucky man was. It then occurred to him that he still hadn't seen any men around Leila other than Xander. And since Xander and Anya were married, Oz doubted that Xander was Leila's father. Oz's thoughts then moved onto the little girl, Leila. He loved the way her name sounded on the tip of his tongue, it seemed somehow natural for him to say. "Will Leila's father be here for the party?"

Kennedy had no idea what to say. She knew that she couldn't just say 'Yeah, he's standing right in front of me'. Just then Kennedy turned as she heard Leila's laughter as she ran back into The Bronze, with Xander.

Oz had both heard Willow and caught her scent, before he even seeing her. But as instantly as he caught her scent, a stronger second scent caught Oz's attention. It wasn't Willow or Leila's but that of another werewolf, a male. The scent was soon forgotten as he watched Willow enter the room. She was even more beautiful than when he had last seen her. Her hair was now longer and slightly darker, and not quite the same shade of red as Leila's.

"Courtin! Grab Leila before she runs into Xander." Willow warned the large werewolf as she watched Leila run towards Xander, who was carrying the birthday cake. But it suddenly wasn't needed as Leila stopped and looked towards the stage. Willow wondered what had caught her daughter's attention so quickly. It wasn't a what but a who. Oz.

Willow hadn't expected Oz to be in The Bronze, especially on this day, Leila's day. Fear over took her. She still hadn't figured out how she was going to tell him about Leila. But she knew that she now had to figure something out quickly as he now stood right in front of her. Except the moment that their eyes met, all the fear disappeared.

Courtin couldn't believe that Oz had the nerve to show up at The Bronze. He quickly looked back towards Willow, to make ensure that she was still behind him. As his wolf instincts kicked in, Courtin quickly scooped Leila up in his arms and took a step in front of Willow, shielding her from Oz's view.

Oz felt as though he and Willow were communicating without words as their eyes remained locked on each other until someone block their view of each other. It was apparent to Oz that the man who stood between them was just a normal guy. He was also a werewolf. Oz then thought to himself. 'He must be Leila's father, it explains her werewolf-like scent.' But this fact confused Oz even more. With all the research that Oz had done on werewolves, he had never once heard of a werewolf and a human having a child together.

"Courtin, it's okay." Willow said as she walked around him. "Hi Oz."


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter. 9

"Courtin, it's okay." Willow said as she walked around him. "Hi Oz."

For a couple of minutes, Oz was speechless as he couldn't believe the fact that Willow was really standing in front of him and that it wasn't just a dream.

Willow began to grow worried the longer that Oz remained silent. "Oz, are you okay?"

Oz suddenly snapped out of his own thoughts as he noticed the worried expression on Willow's face. The last thing that he wanted to do was worry her, especially when there was nothing for her to be worried about. He was just amazed that she was standing in front of him and that she was talking to him. Oz had feared that she would be angry with him for not staying in touch after he had left Sunnydale for the second time. "I'm okay." Oz knew that he had to tell Willow about the danger that her daughter was in. But he also knew that he didn't want Willow to fear for her daughter's life. He refused to allow anything to happen to that little girl, especially now that he knew that she was special and not only because she was a werewolf but because she was Willow's daughter. Something inside of Oz melted every time he saw Leila and for some reason, one that he did not understand, he instinctively felt the urgent need to protect her with his life. "We need to talk."

As soon as the words left Oz's mouth, Willow's fear rose. She wondered if he already knew that he was Leila's father and the reason that he was so silent was because he was upset with her about not telling him, herself. 'What if he was quiet because he was trying to restrain the werewolf part of himself?' But as quickly as the thought appeared, it was dismissed. 'Wait. Oz has never been very talkative person.' Even though Willow knew that she was being ridiculous, a part of her still feared that he could end up hurting her again by leaving or even worse, by taking Leila away from her. It was Willow's worst fear, she was afraid that he would find out about all the bad things that she had done in her past and use it as a reason to take Leila away.

"Can we talk?" Oz asked. Now he was the one who began to worry. Willow hadn't answered him the first time; she had just continued to look back and forth between Leila and him as if unsure what to do.

Willow knew that she had to talk to Oz except she knew that now wasn't the time. "Oz, right now isn't a very good time. Today's my daughter's birthday. Can we talk later tonight?" She replied nervously.

"Tonight is okay. Did you want me to meet you here?" Oz knew that what he needed to tell Willow was important but that it could possibly wait a few hours. He vowed to himself that he would keep a constant eye on Leila until he was able to warn Willow.

Willow was about to reply to Oz's question when she realized that everyone was still standing around her and Oz as they talked. "Guys, can Oz and I have a moment? Xander, can you put the cake on the table and then help Kennedy set up the sound system?" Xander nodded in response as he lowered the cake onto the table before following Kennedy backstage. Willow then turned to Courtin and asked: "I think that I heard the Slayer bus pull up. Can you go out there and help Buffy and Anya organize all the slayers and the rest of the wolf pack in decorating teams? I'm just going to talk quickly to Oz, but I'll be out there in a few minutes, to help with the decorations."

Courtin, who still carried Leila, pulled Willow into a hug with his free arm and gently kissed the top of her head. "Alright, but I'm taking Leila with me."

"That's okay with me." Willow stood on her tips of her toes and kissed her daughter on the cheek before Courtin carried the little girl out of the club.

Oz wanted to follow the large man as he left with Willow's daughter but he knew that he couldn't do anything, the man could possibly be Leila's father. It made sense to Oz due to the fact that Leila carried a werewolf-like scent and Courtin was clearly a werewolf. But there was still something about the guy that made Oz feel uneasy.

Once Willow was sure that everyone was occupied with something other than watching her and Oz, she turned back to the first love of her life. "Oz, I agree with you that there's a lot we need to talk about. How about you come by my house, tonight around 9pm. The house shouldn't be too difficult to find, my daughter and I live in Buffy's old house."

"I remember where she used to live. I'll be there." Oz asked as a part of him wanted to pull Willow into his arms. But the other part of him knew that his main concern had to be keeping Leila safe.

"You're welcome to stay for the party. But if you have other plans, that's okay too."

Oz had a feeling that Kennedy hadn't informed Willow that she had already asked him to play guitar for her. But he was happy that Willow, herself, had invited him to stay, it made it a lot easier for him to keep an eye on Leila and also on Willow. "I'd like that. Do you need any help?"

"I think that Kennedy and Xander might need some help with the sound system." Willow replied.

"I can do that. I've really miss you, Will." Oz admitted as he turned and walked back onto the stage, towards Xander and Kennedy.

"I've miss you too." Willow replied as she watched Oz walk away.

-- --

As Kennedy sang the final notes and the small crowd of party guests applauded, Oz was still unable to take his eyes off of Willow and Leila. It proved to be more difficult than he had expected. Willow was dancing with Xander and Anya while Leila ran laps around the Bronze. He couldn't believe the energy that the little girl possessed; she had only stopped a couple of times to stare up at him. Oz became aware of the fact that every time his eyes met with her's; he felt a slight pressure on his brain. He didn't understand the cause of it but knew that it was something he wanted to mention to Willow.

The idea of talking to Willow caused butterflies in his stomach. Oz was still mesmerized by Willow's beauty, her long dark red hair flowing freely as she danced and laughed with her friends. Oz understood that Xander and Anya's loyalty was to Willow, but he couldn't understand why they would keep her daughter's identity from him, especially if they had figured out that he was talking about Leila. Oz thought back to his conversation with Xander. The moment that he had mentioned needing to find the little girl, who had been at the Magic Box, the night before, Xander had instantly become agitated. But he had still refused to tell Oz that he knew who the little girl had been. Both Xander and Anya had lied to him, which made Oz wonder why there was so much secrecy surrounding Leila. It also made him wonder if Willow would be as secretive about her daughter as well.

Oz quickly turned his focus back to the little girl as he scanned the room, in search of her. Buffy and Dawn sat at one table, surrounded by a large group of young women, who Oz now knew were the next generation of slayers. The moment that he heard Leila's laughter, his attention was instantly drawn to the other side of the room. The little girl laughed hysterically as she was thrown into the air and caught by the man named Courtin. Oz had learnt from others at the party that Courtin was the Alpha for the local werewolf pack. Something inside of him instantly viewed Courtin as a threat as he watched him play with Leila. Oz tried to justify his dislike for a man that he hadn't yet formally met. The only explanation that Oz could come up with was that it must only be his animal instincts. 'It has to be because he's Leila father and that means that he's been with Willow. My Willow.' He thought to himself as he walked off of the stage, following Kennedy as she walked towards Leila and Courtin.

"Court, hand over the little one." Kennedy said as she approached the large werewolf and Leila. She was glad that her gift to Leila had gone over well and everyone including Leila seemed to have enjoyed it. But during the whole song, Kennedy had noticed that Oz had rarely taken his eyes off of Leila. She could tell by his eyes that he wasn't happy when Courtin had picked up Leila and she understood how he felt. Ever since Courtin had entered their lives a year earlier, he had slowly but surely inserted himself into her relationship with Willow. A part of Kennedy felt as though Courtin had somehow influenced Willow's decision to end their relationship. Willow hadn't admitted to it but Kennedy knew that she wouldn't have put it passed him. Kennedy agreed with Willow that Leila needed to have the influence of a man in her life, and it make perfect sense to Kennedy, why Willow had chosen Courtin, now that she knew that Leila was part werewolf. But with Oz's return, she knew that Courtin was about to get a taste of his own medicine and Kennedy swore that she would ensure it happened.

Before Courtin could refuse, Leila held her arms out towards Kennedy. "Kennedy! You sing my song!" The little girl cheered.

Kennedy took Leila into her arms and turned towards Oz. She didn't see a problem in Oz meeting Leila, now that Willow and Oz had already spoken. Even though Oz still didn't know that Leila was his daughter, something told Kennedy that the way that he looked at Leila, lovingly, wouldn't change once he did find out.

She adjusted Leila onto her hip and turned towards Oz. "Leila, have you met my friend Oz?"

Leila looked straight at Oz for a moment then turned and hid her face in Kennedy's shoulder.

"Leila, don't be rude. Say hi." Kennedy said.

"It's okay, she's shy just like her mom." It pained Oz that Leila seemed afraid of him. Something in him just wanted to take Leila into his arms and protect her from everything bad in the world. But he knew that as Willow's daughter, she must have already seen a lot of strange and probably terrifying things in her short life. "Kennedy, I'll talk to you later. I think that I'll go find Xander." Oz continued as he turned and walked away from Leila, Kennedy and Courtin. He didn't want to leave Leila but he felt safer leaving with her in Kennedy's arms as opposed to Courtin's.

As Oz approached the table, where Willow sat with Buffy, Dawn, Xander and Anya, he overheard their conversation.

-- --

Xander wrapped his arms around the two most important women in his life, his wife Anya and his best friend Willow. "So what are our plans for tonight, ladies?"

"I just need a night away from all of those new slayers. Those girls are really starting to drive me crazy." Buffy chimed in.

Willow laughed as she duck out from under Xander's arm and stood up from her seat. "Well I guess that it's a good thing then that we're having a midnight barbecue at my place tonight. I just have one stop to make before I head back to the house but everyone at this table has a key to the house, so if you get there before I do, just let yourselves in."

"Aren't you talking to Oz, tonight?" Anya asked Willow.

"He is supposed to stop by, later. But I think that it will be easier for me to talk to him with everyone nearby." Willow knew that she needed the love and support of her friends, her family, in case Oz reacts negatively to the news.

"In case you chicken out and don't tell him?" Anya added.

Willow knew that it wasn't unlike Anya to make weird and possibly rude comments at inappropriate times, but it still angered her. "I'm going to tell him about Leila. I just feel more comfortable knowing that everyone will be nearby in case he goes all wolfy."

"So you want us to have the tranquilizer gun ready?" Xander inquired.

"I'll grab one from the school tonight before I go over. I also have to make sure that the girls, who are patrolling tonight, have theirs too. Willow, I know that Courtin and the pack haven't caused any problems but it has only been a year. Things could still go wrong." Buffy answered for Willow could answer the question, herself.

Willow didn't like the idea of having a gun, even a tranquilizer gun, near her daughter at any time. But Willow also understood that she didn't know what the wolf pack and Oz were truly capable of. She felt as though she knew who Oz was when they dated but not now that almost 5 years had past. Willow was aware of the fact that she was no longer the same person she was during their relationship. A lot of things had occurred in her life that had a deep influence on the person she now was; one of those things being Leila and the others being Tara and her death.

"Just make sure that you keep it out of Leila's reach. You know about her fascination for all things slayer." Willow replied as she quickly checked her watch, noticing that she only had another hour until sunset. There was still one more place she had to bring her daughter, before the day ended. "Thank you for coming, guys. But it's time for Leila and I to leave."

"Where are you going?" Xander asked curiously.

But once again, someone else answer for Willow. Dawn. "She's going to go visit Tara."

"Oh, yeah. I'm sorry, Will. I guess I wasn't thinking." Xander apologized. He knew that Tara's death still remained a difficult subject for Willow. A topic that often made Willow start to cry, it pained Xander to see his best friend still in such pain. He could never imagine living his life without Anya.. There had been a time, after their first attempt at getting married, when he feared that he would never have Anya in his life again. But after defeating The First, they had managed to fall in love again. But Xander knew that Willow would never have the chance to have her happy ending with Tara. Xander only hoped that maybe with Oz's return to Sunnydale, Willow would have a second chance at finding love and happiness.

Willow knew that as time wore on, her friends would forget about Tara but she knew that she couldn't, even if she had wanted to. That was part of the reason that Willow was so attached to the Summer's house. It had been where her and Tara solidified their family; their small family with just them and Leila and their larger more extended family that consisted of the Scoobies and Spike. When Buffy had offered her the home, Willow gladly accepted. She felt as though by still living in the house, she was keeping a part of Tara with her and Leila.

She didn't want Leila to ever forget that she had another mother who loved just as much as Willow did. But she had a feeling that Leila would always remember Tara, even though she was so young when Tara died. Willow was aware of the fact that her daughter had her own magical abilities but there were things that her daughter would sometimes say that would make the hairs on the back of Willow's neck, stand up. Leila would sometimes find Willow and tell her things that only Tara knew, this gave Willow reason to believe that Leila was somehow seeing or connecting to Tara's spirit. Knowing that Tara was watching over Leila, gave Willow the piece of mind to leave her daughter with someone else.

"It's okay, Xander. I know you didn't mean it. Leila and I should get going before it gets dark." Willow finally replied after a few moments of silence.

Oz, who stood just out of view from Willow and the other Scoobies, was confused. He had been under the impression that Willow and Tara were no longer together, until Dawn mentioned the fact that Willow and Leila were going to visit Tara. But what confused Oz even more was the fact that Xander had apologized for not knowing where Willow was headed. Oz decided that he would follow Willow to Tara; he knew that for his own peace of mind, he needed to know what the relationship now was between the two women. He wanted to make sure that he didn't allow his feelings for the witch to grow, if her heart belonged to someone else.

-- --

Oz had been following Willow and Leila, for a few minutes, when he noticed them entering the Sunview Cemetery. He wondered why they were going to the cemetery when Willow had told everyone that she was going to go visit Tara. Oz knew that he had to get closer to them if he didn't want to lose them in the maze of the cemetery.

It sudden hit Oz, the reason why they were in the cemetery. The only reason that Willow and Tara were no longer together was because the blond woman must have died. His heart broke for Willow, knowing that she had must have truly loved Tara, in order to be visiting her tombstone.

From behind the tree where Oz stood, he was unable to tell exactly when Tara had died but he was able to identify the year, 2002. He watched as Willow sat cross-legged facing the grave; while Leila sat quietly next to her, playing with a small teddy bear that she had brought with her, from the party. This had been the first time that Oz was able to get a really good look at the little girl, even if it was only from the side. As he looked at Leila, he was able to identify the fact that she looked quite a bit like Willow, expect for one thing. Leila had large blue eyes while Willow's were green. This made Oz wonder how much Leila looked like her father but if her father was Courtin, Oz didn't see any resemblance. This made Oz wonder who Leila's father really was. The man's identity still haunted Oz. He knew that he wanted could easily love Willow's daughter as his own but he also knew that it would only happen if Willow allowed him to.

Even from where he stood, Oz was still able to hear what Willow was saying. At first he thought that she was talking to Leila until he took the time to listen carefully.

"Hi Baby. A lot has changed since I was last here. But I do want to thank you for your letter; I think that it's helped a lot with my decision about Oz. He needs to know and I think that I'll tell him tonight." Willow said quietly as she took the time to trace each of the letters of Tara's name, which were engraved into the stone.

'What is she talking about? What is she going to tell me?" Oz asked himself.

_End of Chapter._

_Author's notes: The big moment is about to happen... Will she tell him or will Willow decide that it would be better for everyone if Oz didn't find out? Please take the time to review and let me know what you think about the direction of this story._


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter. 10

From where he stood, Oz was able to hear every word that Willow was saying. At first, he though that she was talking to Leila until he took the time to listen more carefully.

"Hi Baby. A lot has changed since the last time that I was here. But first, I want to thank you for the rose and for your letter. I wish that you were here to tell me those things yourself but you're not. It means a lot to me, to know how feel about what I have to do now, now that he's back. Oz needs to know and I'm going to tell him. He is coming over to the house later and that's when I'm going to tell him." Willow said, as she began to slowly trace each of the letters in Tara's name, which were engraved in the stone. "Tara-Baby, I miss you. I wish you were here with me."

'What is Willow talking about? She said that she needs to tell me something but we haven't seen each other in almost 5 years. What could she need to tell me? And why didn't she just tell me, earlier, at the party?' He asked himself. Willow had spent the majority of Leila's birthday party, avoiding him. There had been a few occasions where he caught her looking back at him, but as soon as their eyes met, she turned away. What does Willow have to tell me?' Oz asked himself. His thoughts silenced as he watched Leila comfort Willow.

"Mommy, don't cry. Mama loves you, big like the sky. She say don't be sad, she miss you lots too but she happy in heaven. She want you to be happy." Leila said as she stood up and wiped the tears from Willow's cheeks, with her small hands.

Willow was knew that her daughter was an empath, the little girl felt and sensed the feelings of those around her. But that was only one of her daughter's many special abilities, abilities that Willow knew would continue to grow as she did. The thought scared Willow. She knew from experience, how easy it was to give in to the temptations of power. And she refused to allow her daughter to follow along the same path. There were still times when she still felt the darkness inside of her, as it tried to take control again.

She looked up at her daughter, who was staring back at her with a look of concern on her face. In order to reassure her daughter that she was okay, Willow pulled the little girl down onto her lap, kissing the top of her head. "I know that Mama loves me, Lei. How about you to her all about your birthday party? I think that she'd like to hear all about the cool presents that you got and all that goody cake that you ate."

Leila nodded eagerly. "Mama, I have my birthday today. I four years old now." She said as she held out four fingers. "Auntie Dawn make your pancakes for me. All my big slayer friends come to my party and Kennedy play me a song."

"Kennedy played a song for you." Willow corrected her daughter. Willow smiled as she thought about how fast her daughter had grown up. It had seemed like just yesterday that she held her newborn daughter in her arms, while Tara held her. But Willow knew that it hadn't been yesterday because Leila was now four years old and Tara had been gone for way to long.

"Uncle Xander make me a present. I rip all the paper off and I find big sword for me." Leila continued.

Willow thought back to when Leila had opened all of her birthday presents. The little girl had received more weapons, both real and fake, than she had the normal girl things such as dolls and dresses. But Willow knew that those gifts were also everyone's way of telling her that it was time to start training Leila to protect herself. She understood what they meant; they did live very dangerous lives.

Willow and the Scoobies had already taken steps in protecting her daughter. Xander built a small room in every building that Leila often spent time, such included her home, The Magic Box, The Bronze and the slayer school. Willow and Tara had also spent hours casting the strongest protection spells that they were able to find, over the small hidden rooms. As time wore on, she had also accepted the help of others, in order to better protect these secret hideaways.

She had hoped to not have to train Leila until she was that least a teenager but Willow had recently noticed, as did the others, that Leila was increasingly becoming the target of many demons. Although none of these demons had succeeded in kidnapping the little girl, it didn't stop more from trying.

She knew that her daughter wouldn't object to any training since she had already declared to everyone that she was a slayer too. Willow began to think of simple self-defense moves that she could ask Buffy or Kennedy teach Leila, but those thoughts soon ended when she realized that Leila had grown silent.

Her little girl was staring at a couple of large trees, to her right. Willow couldn't see anything around the trees and was about to stand up to investigate more when she heard a howl coming from the woods on the edge of the cemetery. She smiled knowing exactly who it was, someone from Courtin's werewolf pack. "Leila, who just howled?" Willow asked, knowing that Leila had the ability to distinguish between the howls and barks of the different pack members. She also had the ability to communicate and read the thoughts of not just humans but those of the pack while in werewolf form.

Leila continued to stare at the trees for another couple of minutes before looking up at her mother, with a large smile on her face. "That Courtin. He say it okay to stay longer, he protect us."

Willow knew that Leila was truly happy when she encouraged her to use her abilities, especially when the use of certain powers were often discouraged. As soon as Leila had been old enough to understand that there were consequences to certain actions, Willow explained to her that it was wrong to invade the thoughts of others. There had only ever been one exception to that rule. Leila was to only read the thoughts of others when she felt as though she were in danger. Since that point, there had only been a couple of people who had complained of feeling a slight pressure in their head while in Leila's presence. Pressure on the mind was a something that often occurred as Leila read that person's thoughts.

Although Willow had discouraged the use of some of her daughter's abilities, she had also encouraged the use of others. Leila had the ability to instantly calm someone who was angry or upset. Willow knew that that gift could quite possibly be the thing that one day saves her daughter's life. But her daughter's special abilities weren't simply rooted in old magic; Leila had also inherited certain abilities from her father. These abilities were the ones that scared Willow the most.

Every full moon, she feared that her daughter was going to change into a werewolf, right before her eyes. Willow had spent hundreds of hours researching werewolves, but she had never found any cases of a human and a werewolf conceiving a child together. This left Willow in the dark about what the future held for her daughter. She knew that there was only one person who could truly understand the other side of Leila. Oz. Except Willow hadn't known where to look for him, for the longest time. He could have been anywhere in the world, leaving Willow to try and find another way of helping Leila with the werewolf inside. Her prayers were answered when Courtin entered her life. Their friendship had grown from a simple arrangement to a friendship where they both depended deeply on the other. Willow had agreed to use her knowledge and power to help Courtin and his wolf pack learn to control the wolf inside while still allowing the werewolf to take shape. In return, Courtin had agreed to provide Willow with more in-depth information about werewolves and about Leila's abilities compared to those of other werewolf children.

Willow remembered the day that Courtin had told her that Leila's scent was that of a werewolf expect for the fact that there was a sweetness to it. She wondered if Oz had figured out that Leila was part werewolf. But Willow knew that she would soon find out.

-- --

Oz jumped when he suddenly heard a howl coming from behind him. He turned around to find three werewolves standing along the edge of the forest. It was clear to Oz that the large black werewolf in the center of the three was Courtin, by his scent.

Feeling as though Willow and Leila were in danger, he quickly turned back towards them to make sure that they had left. But he was wrong, Willow and Leila were still seated, calmly, in front of Tara's grave. The howl had apparently not fazed them. Something about Willow and Leila's lack of reaction made Oz believe that they felt safe even though they must have heard the howl as well. Oz could feel the stares of the werewolves, on the back of his head. As he turned around to look back at them, he sensed that he was about to be attacked. He decided that it would be best if he just backed away and left. He didn't want to be involved in a fight with another werewolf, in front of Willow and Leila. But he also knew that if the werewolves attacked, he would allow the wolf inside to take over. He just hoped that he would be able to control the wolf enough in order to prevent it from hurting Willow and Leila. Oz put up his hands and slowly took a couple steps back towards the entrance of the cemetery, showing them that he was going to leave without a fight.

As he left, Oz kept his eyes locked on Courtin. He had only allowed himself to take a few quick glances towards Willow and Leila, he needed to know that they were still safe and he needed to make sure that they hadn't seen him. He knew that he shouldn't have been listening in on what seemed to be a very private moment but something inside of him, kept him there. He felt as though by seeing this exchange between Willow, Leila and Tara's memory, he was seeing a part of who Willow had become. It was clear to him that a part of the old sweet and silly Willow that he had fallen in love with, was no longer there. Now when he looked at her, he could see sadness in her eyes.

When Oz heard a second howl, he quickened his pace towards the exit of the cemetery. Once he exited the iron gates, he was no longer able to see Courtin and the other werewolves, which also meant that he couldn't see Willow and Leila. He hoped that Willow would be able to protect herself and Leila, should the werewolves try and attack them.

Oz decided to return to his motel room until it was time to talk to Willow. He knew that he had quite a bit to think about. He needed to protect Leila from whatever danger she might soon be facing but that also meant that he would be seeing a lot of Willow. Oz knew that it wouldn't be easy to be so close to the woman that he still loved, and not be able to tell her. He also knew that there was a good chance that Courtin was going to make his job of protecting Leila, very difficult. This caused Oz to wonder if the reason for Courtin's possessiveness over Willow and Leila, was due to the fact that he was Leila's father.

-- --

After watching Oz leave, Leila turned to Willow who was lost deep in thought. "Mommy, Courtin tell me the bad mad gone now." She whispered.

Willow suddenly began to grow scared, she hadn't sensed any foreign power around them, yet she didn't doubt that what Leila had said was true. Willow quickly stood up and picked her daughter up into her arms. "Leila, it's time to say goodnight to Mama. We have to go home now. You can come back with Mommy, next time I visit Mama."

As Leila nodded in agreement, Willow slowly lowered her back onto the ground. The little girl then proceeded to place her small teddy bear on the top of the gravestone. "Night-Night, Mama. I love you lots and lots." After Leila gently kissed the stone, she walked back to her mother's side, taking her hand. "We go home now?"

Wanting to get her daughter back to the house, where it was easier to protect her, Willow began to lead her daughter out of the cemetery. It scared her to not know which demon had been watching them. "Yes, we're going home now."

-- --

"Kennedy, where are the hotdogs?" Xander asked as he rummaged through Willow's refrigerator.

"They're in there. How are we going to get the fire started? Willow normally does it; she's supposed to be here. Do you think something might had happened?" Kennedy asked, as every possible worst-case scenario passed through her head. She had expected both Willow and Leila to already be at the house when she returned with Xander and Anya. Except when they arrived, the house was completely dark. Kennedy had done a quick walk-through the house, hoping to find Willow and Leila sitting in a corner, reading a book by candlelight. But after searching the second floor, Kennedy concluded that they must still be at the cemetery.

"I'm sure that Willow and Leila are okay. Willow's a big girl and she can take care of herself and her daughter. She probably just lost track of time, you know how she gets when she goes to visit Tara. I'm sure that they're going to walk right through that door at any moment. But they had better do it fast, Xander and I have something to tell everyone." Anya said as she walked next to Xander, taking the hotdogs out of the refrigerator.

"Anya, wait until everyone gets here before you tell anyone." Xander said as he closed the refrigerator door before wrapping his arms around Anya's waist.

Kennedy watched the happy couple and wondered what the big news was. Knowing Anya, it probably had something to do with The Magic Box or money. Kennedy was about to grab her cell phone and call Willow, when she heard someone walk through the front door. Kennedy rushed out of the kitchen, hoping that it was Willow and Leila.

Kennedy's slayer instinct kicked in as she caught Leila in her arms, just as the little girl was about to run into her. "Hey Lei, miss me?" Kennedy asked her as the little girl smiled back at her. She still remembered the first day that she had arrived at the Summer's home. The moment that she had seen Willow, she realized that she had fallen in love at first sight. But Kennedy had known that it wasn't going to be easy to make a relationship work with Willow. The witch was still clearly in love with a ghost and there was also the fact that she came as part of a package deal. Kennedy knew that if she wanted Willow, she would also have to love her two and a half year old daughter as well.

"I miss you lots. You come live with me, again?" Leila asked her, innocently.

It broke Kennedy's heart that every time she spoke to Leila, either in person or on the phone, the little girl asked her when she was returning to the home that they shared for over a year. Kennedy knew that Leila was still too young to understand that her relationship with Willow was over and that it had been for the last three months. "I'm sorry, baby girl, but I'm only here to visit for your birthday. Do you remember when your mommy and I told you that I live in Cleveland now? I have to help Faith fight the bad guys there."

Leila nodded and wiggled her way out of Kennedy's arms, the moment she heard Xander's voice in the kitchen. "Uncle Xander!" She screamed as she ran towards the kitchen.

"Kennedy, I'm sorry. I know that it's hard for you when she asks you to come back. I think that as time goes by, she'll stop asking. Maybe as she gets older, she might understand the situation better." Willow apologized as she walked into the living room.

Kennedy walked over to Willow, wrapping her arms around the witch's petite waist. "How can she understand this, when there's still days when I don't understand why I'm not here with you?"

"I don't want to hurt you more than I already have. I'll always love you, Kennedy, but we both know that we have to concentrate on different things in our lives. Leila's growing more and more powerful every day and she needs me to show her how to use her magic responsibly. I know that I'm not the best example for self-control but I'm still her mother and she needs me. Plus making sure that the new slayers learn everything they need to know to fight evil and yet still graduate from high school, keeps me busy the rest of the time. I barely have enough time to run The Bronze and that's what pays the bills. It wouldn't be fair to you if we stayed together because I can't give you the love and attention that you deserve. I also know that you want to prove yourself as a slayer and you can't do that when you're stuck here, anchored to me and my daughter." Willow explained to the young dark-haired slayer.

Kennedy pulled Willow into a gentle kiss and replied. "It was never you and Leila keeping me from being the slayer that I want to be. It was Buffy. She would never let me have a say in anything and I couldn't do what I wanted to do. Don't get me wrong, Buffy is and always will be 'The Slayer' but Faith actually lets me be a slayer and not just another one of her soldiers."

"You could never just be a soldier, you're too stubborn and hardheaded." Willow replied with a smile.

"But I wasn't stubborn enough to fight for you."

Willow pulled herself out of Kennedy's arms and walked over to the window. "No, you were. I can just be more stubborn when it comes to something that I truly believe is for the best."

Kennedy watched as Willow stared out the window. "It's only 9 o'clock. You told him to be here at 10. Are you scared?"

"Of Oz? No. Of his reaction to finding out that he has a daughter? Yup."

"Do you think that he might change into a werewolf like he did when he found out about you and Tara?"

Willow curiously looked back at Kennedy. "How did you know that Oz turned into a werewolf and almost attacked Tara?"

"Oz told me about it during Leila's party. He didn't say very much, only that it was the last time that the werewolf inside of him took control. He isn't much of a talker, is he?" Kennedy asked. She couldn't imagine Willow dating someone who seemed so quiet. Willow loved to talk and she had the ability to babble on forever. It was one of the witch's quirks that Kennedy loved the most. But then Kennedy remembered that someone had once mentioned that Tara was quite quiet as well. This made Kennedy wonder is the reason that they hadn't worked out was because Kennedy wasn't quiet person at all.

Willow smiled as she remembered Oz's stoicism. He never said very much in front of the others but when they were alone, they often spent hours talking about everything from school and music to the newest evil. "Oz is a man of very few words."

"But he doesn't need to talk very much in order to be dangerous. Isn't his only trigger, you? I mean finding out that he has a daughter, could seriously cause some anger issues. I'm not trying to scare you but wasn't it his anger in relation to you, what caused him to change and attack Tara?" Kennedy took Willow's hand and led her to the couch, motioning for the witch to sit next to her.

"I guess that there's always that chance. But I'm not taking any chances, not when it comes to Leila. I'm going to be prepared. Buffy told me that she would bring her tranquilizer gun, just in case. Do you know if she's here yet? I know that Leila and I were late but Leila had to tell Tara about the whole party and then we had a little scare."

"I don't think so. And what kind of scare are you talking about? Did something happen with Oz?"

"No, it's just that while we were at the cemetery, Leila was acting kind of weird and then we heard Courtin howl. I guess that he told Leila that there was someone who had been watching us. I don't know who it was, but I wasn't going stay there and find out. I just hope that Buffy gets here soon. I mean having a werewolf in the house on a full moon can prove to be a hairy situation for anyone." Willow replied, trying to lighten the conversation.

"Willow, I need you to come outside. Xander is out there with Leila and he thinks that he can start the fire by himself. I'm afraid that he's going to end up lighting the whole backyard on fire, again. Stop making out with Kennedy and come do a spell or something." Anya said as she walked into the living room.

"We weren't making out." Kennedy added before Willow had a chance to respond to Anya's question.

"And you left my daughter alone with him while he's trying to light the fire?" Willow asked as she quickly stood up from the couch and ran outside. Anya and Kennedy ran after Willow and arrived in the backyard just in time to Willow stop Xander from adding lighter fluid to the large pieces of wood that he had piled into the fire pit. "Xander! Stop and put that down, right now! You're going to end up hurting someone." She ordered. Willow then placed her hand directly over the fire pit and whispered. "Accendo."

The small group watched as a tiny flame began to grow, quickly consuming all of the wood that Xander had piled into the fire pit.

"Thanks, Will. So, we ready to get down to some eating?" Xander eagerly asked as he began helping Anya and Kennedy set up the folding chairs around the fire.

Willow watched as her daughter ran around the backyard, she wanted to make sure that Leila didn't end up running to close to the fire. "Go ahead, Xander. As long as you promise to leave some hotdogs and marshmallows for Buffy."

"Where is the Buffster, anyways?" He asked.

"Right here. Sorry I'm late, we had a little problem back at the mansion." Buffy replied as she walked into the backyard, joining Willow, Leila, Kennedy, Xander and Anya as they all sat around the fire.

"Was it another demon?" Willow asked, afraid of what the answer might be.

Buffy turned to her best friend, it was clear to her that Willow was scared. "It was nothing. Some of the girls agreed to switch patrol nights and the others didn't think that it was fair. Rona and her team wanted to work at The Bronze, again tonight, so they switched with Cho-Ann and her team."

"And let me guess, Ellie, Vi and their teams don't think that it was fair for Rona and them get another moon night off?" Xander asked in response.

Normally, only two teams patrolled every night, leaving the third team to work at The Bronze and the fourth had the night off. But on the three nights of the full moon, three teams were made to patrol while the fourth one worked at The Bronze. This always seemed to cause tension within the different teams, everyone wanted to be part of the team that happened to work at the club on those nights. Just as The Bronze had been a comfortable refuge for the Scoobies, it had turned out to be the same for the next generation of slayers. Even during their time off, the girls could be found hanging around the club.

"Of course." Buffy replied, taking a marshmallow and piercing it with a poker before placing the poker over the fire.

"Why don't they fight like that to work at The Magic Box? I'd offer them more money than Willow does." Anya asked.

Willow felt a little guilty because she knew that the truth would hurt Anya's feelings. The young new slayers did rather work at The Bronze compared to The Magic Box. "I think that The Bronze just gives them a distraction from everything slayer related. That's why we used to go there when we were in high school."

"She has a point." Xander added.

"Red, do you see what your little bit is trying?" Spike asked as he walked out of the house and into the backyard, joining the others around the fire, taking a seat next to Buffy.

Willow turned around to look in the direction that Spike had pointed out. There was Leila, who had climbed halfway up a tree. "Leila Dawn, what are you doing?" She asked, as she stood up and walked over to the tree.

"I gonna reach the top." The little girl replied as she pulled herself up onto the next branch.

"The top of the tree isn't strong enough to hold you, Honey. How about you climb down, don't jump, and I'll make you a s'more?" Willow asked, trying to entice her to climb down without having Leila throw a tantrum. By time the third full moon arrived, Leila was so tired after being awake for three days and nights, that the slightest thing would cause her to throw herself on the ground, crying and screaming uncontrollably. Those 3 days, her daughter was a hyperactive and daring little girl while during the remaining 28 days of the month, Leila was a very sweet, quiet and cooperative little girl.

For a moment, Leila stopped climbing. It appeared as though she was contemplating the offer her mother had made. "Okay, Mommy. Can I have two smores?" Leila asked as she started to climb down the tree.

"If you climb down safely and don't try jumping down. That's a really really tall tree and Mommy doesn't want you to have big ouchies." Willow replied, never taking her eye off of her daughter. She rummaged through her mind, trying to think of a quick spell that she could say, in case Leila lost her grip on a branch and began to fall.

Just as Leila's foot reached a branch that Willow was able to reach, she wrapped her hand around her daughter's ankle, leading it safely down onto the next branch. Once Leila had climbed down from the tree, she took off towards the others, who were still seated next to the fire.

-- --

As Oz approached the Buffy's old house, he kept rehearsing how he planned to tell Willow that her daughter could be in danger. But no matter how many times he repeated what he was going to say, he knew that the moment that he saw her, his mind would go blank.

His love for her was still as strong as it had been when they were in high school. Even though they had dated in their freshman year at UC Sunnydale, that part of their relationship was tainted by the memory of Veruca. Oz knew that he couldn't solely blame the female werewolf for his breakup with Willow. He had knowingly invited her into his cage, knowing what was going to happen. He just hadn't expected Willow to find him with her, the following morning.

Oz kept telling himself that if he ever had the chance to make it up to Willow, he would take the first opportunity. But after returning to Sunnydale, the first time, it was clear to him that he had returned too late. Willow had already moved on, she had chosen to be with Tara. And by the scene that he had witnessed in the cemetery, Willow clearly still loved her. But now, Tara was gone. This left Oz with the feeling that maybe it was his chance to prove to Willow that he had changed into the type of man that she needed.

Except Oz was still unsure as to whether Willow was in fact single. She had spent a lot of time, during the party, with the werewolf named Courtin. Other than Xander, Courtin was the only other man that Oz noticed hanging around Willow and Leila. Therefore, he was the only logical choice when Oz thought about the identity of Leila's father.

As he climbed the front steps onto the porch, he began to grow increasingly more nervous. For a brief moment, he had even contemplated just asking Xander to tell Willow, for him. But he knew that as much as it was going to hurt to not hold Willow in his arms, he had to tell her, himself, that her daughter could be in danger. 'Grow up.' He told himself. 'She has.' Oz took one more deep breath before knocking on the front door.

He waited a moment but after no answer, he knocked again.

"Wait a minute!" A voice called from the other side.

As the door opened, Oz was greeted by Kennedy. "Hi."

Kennedy was surprised to find Oz at the front door. She knew that Willow had invited him to come over but she hadn't realized that it was already 10 o'clock. "Hey Oz…. Willow's in the backyard. How about you come out back?"

Oz nodded in agreement.

"Follow me." Kennedy replied as she turned and headed towards the kitchen.

As Oz walked into the home that now belonged to Willow, he took a minute to look around. He noticed a few pictures of Buffy, Xander and Anya. There were also quite a few pictures of Leila around the room.

"Are you coming?" Kennedy asked when she noticed that Oz wasn't behind her.

"Yeah." He replied, quickening his pace until he reached the back door. As he walked through the door, he quickly caught Willow's scent. He could see her sitting beside Buffy; it appeared as though they were working together in order to place a hot marshmallow onto graham crackers. Oz smiled as Willow began to laugh when the marshmallow fell onto the ground, totally missing the crackers.

"Will, look who I found at the front door?" Kennedy announced as they drew closer to the fire pit, which was surrounded by a couple of benches and some folding chairs.

Willow looked up, her smile disappearing. She took a deep breath before she stood up and started walking towards him. "Hi Oz."

"Hi."

Willow looked down at her hands for a moment, before looking back at him. "Do you want to go inside?" She asked nervously. Her life and the life of her daughter was about to change forever. Even if Oz left again, Willow knew that she would always remember the look on his face when she told him that he had a daughter.

"I think that might be good idea." Oz was aware of the fact that Willow was now nervous around him. He couldn't blame her when the last time that he was around someone she loved; he turned into a werewolf and almost attack her. It didn't help his case that there was currently a full moon in the sky and the person she now loved the most, was her daughter.

Willow turned to Buffy and was about to ask her to watch Leila when the slayer stopped her.

"Don't worry, Will. I'll keep an eye on her, I won't let her get into too much trouble."

Willow was thankful for her friends, especially Xander and Buffy. They had been as important in Leila's life as she was. "Thank you, Buffy. If anything happens just come and get me. Okay?"

Buffy nodded in agreement before turning towards Leila and the others. "Leila, do you want to share that s'more with me? And I think that Spike has a present for you."

"Oh bloody hell." Spike replied.

Willow laughed as she watched Leila jump onto Spike's lap, asking to see her present. Even though Spike pretended to not care about anyone except for Buffy, it was clear to everyone that it was only an act. It became especially clear when it had something to do with Dawn or Leila.

Once she knew that Leila was too occupied to notice her leave, she turned back to Oz. "I think that it might be easier for us to talk inside of the house, alone. But if you want to talk some place else, that is okay with me. I just have to tell Buffy where we're going."

"Inside the house is fine, Will." Oz replied as she turned and began walking towards the house.

This time as he entered the living room, he took his time looking around. The room was surrounded by pictures and quite a few of them were of Leila. The pictures ranged from the time that she was an infant to a now beautiful little girl. The other pictures that Oz noticed around the room, were of Xander, Buffy and Dawn. Suddenly Oz was drawn to one picture in particular. It was a picture of Willow, Leila and Tara. He could tell by the smile on Willow's face, that she had truly been happy with Tara.

"Oz, are you okay?" Willow asked as she began to grow a little concerned. He was had been staring at the same picture for what seemed like a lifetime.

Oz looked up, his eyes meeting Willow's. "I'm good." He knew that he had to figure out how to tell Willow about her daughter's impending danger, without scaring her. "Willow, I think that I need to tell you why I'm back here in Sunnydale. It has to do with Leila."

Willow began to feel her stomach turning at her nervousness grew. But she knew that telling him was the right thing to do, for Leila and also possibly for him. "There's something that I need to tell you too. Is it okay if I go first?"

It scared him, not knowing what Willow was going to tell him. Oz hoped that she wasn't going to ask him to leave. He knew that his return into her life, had probably caused some waves but Oz also knew that he had to stay and protect her daughter. That little girl was a part of the woman that he loved, and that was reason enough for Oz to protect her with his life.

Oz wondered if Willow was planning on telling him about Leila's father. Earlier in the evening, he had sat down and did the math. He figured out that Willow had become pregnant around the time that they had broken up. Oz wondered if that was when she met Courtin, maybe Courtin had offered Willow a little more than comfort after he had left. But Oz couldn't figure out why Willow hadn't told him, that she was pregnant, when he had returned to Sunnydale, a few months later. Maybe she had been too scared to tell him, afraid of what his reaction might have been. He had attacked Tara, Oz could only have imagined what would have happened if he had found out that Willow was pregnant with another man's child. The thought still caused the werewolf inside to stir. Oz knew that he could worry about what she was going to say, or listen to it. He took a deep breath, bracing himself to hear the worst, before he answered. "Go ahead."

"Do you want to sit down? You might want to be sitting for this." Willow suggested. She also took a seat, unsure how long her legs could support her as she grew more and more nervous about telling him.

"I have a feeling that I want to be standing for this. Is this something that I might want to be standing for?"

Willow knew that if she waited any longer, she would likely lose the courage to tell him, at all. "It might be but I'd feel a lot better if you were sitting down."

Not wanting Willow to feel anymore nervous than she clearly already was, he sat down on the couch, next to her. He took her hands in his own, hoping to stop hers from shaking. "Will, you know that you could still tell me anything, right?"

Willow could tell that she was now making Oz nervous. "I know but this isn't just something that you just throw out there. I mean, I've waited a long time to tell you. And in my dreams, I've told you so many times, all in different ways. But now that you're actually here, it scares me."

"Willow, just tell me. You have nothing to be afraid of." Oz asked patiently.

Willow took a deep breath, and carefully chose her words. "You've met my daughter, Leila, right?"

Oz wondered where Willow was going with this topic. He felt as though it could only lead to one thing, finding out that Courtin or someone else was Leila's father. "I've met her, she's beautiful. You've done a good job with her."

Willow didn't know what she would do without her daughter; that little girl was her whole life. She wondered if Oz would ever see Leila in the same way. But she knew that it wasn't going to happen if Oz decided to leave again. Willow knew that the only way to find out how he was going to react, was by telling him. "Thank you. But I can't take all the credit; I've had a lot of help in raising her. But that isn't what I have to tell you." She paused for a minute before continuing. Willow knew that once the words came out, there was no going back. "Oz, Leila's your daughter. I mean, she's our daughter."

_End of Chapter_

_Author's Note: First of all, I'm sorry that this chapter took so long to post. It's an important part of this story and therefore I had to make extra sure that it was perfect. Secondly, I am so sorry to leave everyone with a cliffhanger but as the author of this fanfic, I just had to. Plus I want to know how everyone thinks Oz will react to finding out that Leila is his daughter. Please take the time and post a review, letting me know your opinions on this chapter. Another chapter will be posted again soon!_


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"Oz, Leila's your daughter. I mean, she's our daughter."

"I know… What did you just say?" Oz quickly asked. He didn't believe that he had heard her right. There was no way that Willow's daughter could also be his. Oz had fully expected for Willow to tell him that Courtin was Leila's father. Not him.

Willow took another deep breath, she understood his confusion. "You're Leila's father." She found it easier to tell him, the second time. But Willow knew that explaining everything to him, could prove to be almost as difficult.

"I heard you but I don't believe it. How?" Oz couldn't believe that the little girl, who was playing outside, was his daughter. Their love had created another life. There had been many nights in the past 5 years, that he had dreamt of one day starting a family with Willow, but he had never expected it to come true. And the whole time that he was dreaming about it, Willow had actually been living through it, alone. He left Willow alone to raise their child. He now understood why she was now hesitant and nervous around him. Oz could feel the wolf inside of him, trying to escape, as he continued to blame himself. He knew that he had to find something to focus his attention on, in order to prevent himself from changing.

Willow felt her cheeks grow red as she remembered the last time that they had made love. The night that resulted in Leila's birth. "How? Well, do you remember the last time that we, you know, we were together…"

Oz stood up and walked over to a picture of Leila, as a newborn, which sat on top of the television. He took the picture into his hands. He thought that by concentrating on the photograph, the werewolf inside would retreat but it seemed to have an opposite affect. His grip on the frame continued to grow stronger as did the wolf inside.

Willow suddenly felt a change in the air. That was when she also noticed a change in Oz's posture. Instantly she feared the worse. Oz was most likely so angry with her that his anger towards her was causing him to change into a werewolf, right before her eyes. Willow knew that if Oz did in fact change, she would be responsible for making sure that he didn't hurt anyone even if that meant shooting him with the tranquilizer gun. That was when she noticed the tranquilizer gun on the top of the bookshelf. Not wanting to draw attention to herself, Willow slowly backed her way towards the shelf, hoping that she would make it before Oz turned.

"I should have been here to help you. I should have known." Oz whispered.

His words caused Willow to stop in the track. She knew that he would have chosen to stay in Sunnydale, had he known about Leila. But at the same time, almost 5 years had past and Willow no longer needed his help. Her friends had become her family and they were the ones that she trusted with her daughter's life. For a brief moment, Willow wondered if maybe it would have been best if she hadn't told him about Leila. But now was too late to go back. "I didn't know where to find you. Oz, please don't."

Oz placed the picture back on top of the television as he turned back towards Willow. That was when he noticed that Willow was no longer sitting on the couch; she was now standing next to a large bookshelf. His eyes were instantly drawn to what sat on top on the bookshelf, a tranquilizer gun. It was probably the same one that they had used in high school. "Will?"

Willow took a step back when she realized that Oz was now staring at the gun. That moment, her back hit the wall and she knew that she was corner. Willow silently prayed for the Goddess to help her.

As Oz was about to ask Willow, why she was walking towards the tranquilizer gun when he saw the fear in her eyes. Instantly the wolf retreated. 'What have I done?' He asked himself. "Willow, please don't look at me like that. I'm not going to change. I can control it." Oz tried to softly reassure her. The last thing he ever wanted was for Willow to fear him.

"I'm not scared but I do have my daughter to worry about." Willow inhaled deeply before she corrected herself. "Our daughter."

"I'm sorry for scaring you, I promise you that I'm not gonna change. But Will, this is just freaksome." Oz wasn't sure what he was going to do now that he knew he had a daughter. A daughter with Willow. But one thing he knew for sure was that he would never allow anything to ever hurt Leila or Willow. 'I can't tell Willow that the only reason that I came back was because her daughter is in danger. If I am going to be a father to Leila, I have to take care of this, myself. I just hope that Xander doesn't tell Willow, the real reason.'

Willow stood against the wall, studying the expression on Oz's face. Something inside of her told her that he was telling her the truth, he wasn't going to change. But Willow knew that just because he wasn't going to change right at that moment, it didn't mean that he wouldn't one day just change. And Willow didn't want to take the chance of that happening in front of Leila. She didn't have that fear when it came to Courtin and the others in the pack, but Oz had the ability to change in an instant, day or night. And to prevent anything from happening, she knew that she had to keep Leila away from Oz. "She doesn't know." Willow knew that she was being unfair to Oz and most likely to Leila as well. But she still had the underlining fear that if Oz ever found out about the horrible things that she had done in her past, he would use that against her and take Leila away. The thought caused tears to fill Willow's eyes. She couldn't imagine her life without Leila. Leila was the only reason that Willow hadn't ultimately ended the world after Tara's death. Not wanting Oz to see her cry, she quickly walked past him, towards the kitchen. "I'm sorry, Oz." Willow apologized as she turned to leave the room.

Just as she was about to walk out of the room, a loud howl shook the house. Instantly Willow knew that it had to be a werewolf, not because werewolves were an everyday part of her life, but because it was the night after the full moon. Willow wondered if the werewolf was a member of Courtin's pack or a lone wolf. If it was a member of Courtin's pack, this only meant that it somehow managed to get past the barrier that she had cast around the small forest beside the Sunview Cemetery, where Tara was buried. The barrier was supposed to keep the werewolves within the forest and keep the people out, during the three nights of the full moon. But if this werewolf wasn't local, it could possibly be a danger to Leila. Although at this point, any of the werewolves could possibly be a danger to anyone. And Willow had no idea if there were any others on the lose.

It seemed as though the moment that he heard the howl, everyone who had been outside, rushing into the living room. Oz hadn't realized that there had been that many people, just a few feet away. Quickly he scanned the room, searching for Willow. He wanted to make sure that she was safe. That was when he saw her removing the tranquilizer gun from the top of the bookshelf.

"Will, I'll do it." Buffy felt sorry for Willow. Her best friend had already had a long and hard day; Buffy knew that if this werewolf was a member of Courtin's pack, Willow's night wasn't likely to end anytime soon. "Is it one of Courtin's?"

As Willow gave Buffy the tranquilizer gun, she quickly searched the room from her daughter. "I don't know. Where's Leila?"

"Leila is in the kitchen with Dawn." Buffy replied. "How about we answer the question of who this is, after we help it take a nap."

Oz stood, silently, in the corner of the room; he was confused as to what was exactly going on. One minute, Willow was telling him that he was a father and the next, she seemed as though she was going to leave the room, crying. But now, it seemed as though there was a werewolf was nearby and they were planning on shooting it with the tranquilizer gun.

Everyone followed Buffy and Willow as they walked to the front door. Before Buffy opened it, she turned to the others. "Willow, you come with me. Don't worry about Leila, Dawn is keeping her busy in the kitchen. Spike and Kennedy, we'll need you to come with us. Anya and Xander, I think that we might need you guys to help Dawn watch Leila, just to make sure that Leila doesn't see any of this. She's already heard the howl and we all know that she'll soon be asking questions and wanting answers."

"Why does something always have to attack us, every time Xander and I have good news to announce." Anya complained as she followed Xander back towards the kitchen.

"How can I help?" Oz asked, reminding everyone that he was still there. He knew that if this werewolf was the danger that the seer had warned him about, he needed to do something to help protect Leila.

Ever since Spike walked into the house, he could almost taste the tension between Willow and Oz. Although he didn't know the werewolf, Spike didn't like him. "You can stay the bloody hell out of the way. This matter doesn't concern you. Actually, nothing here concerns you, so feel free to leave at any time."

At the moment, both Willow and Buffy sent Spike a look that could easily have been deadly. But Buffy was the only one to put words to the look. "Spike, Oz has nothing to do with you. Leave him alone." She then turned to Oz and continued. "We're good, we've dealt with this before."

Before Oz could respond, Kennedy chimed in. "Hey guys, how about we talk about this, after we stop this werewolf?"

"Thank you, Kennedy." Willow answered. "Buff, lets go."

Buffy slowly opened the front door; she didn't want to attract any of the werewolf's attention to them. At first, Buffy had no idea where the werewolf has but that was only until she climbed down the front steps. That was when she noticed the werewolf sitting on the roof of Willow's car. Buffy quietly motioned silently for the others to follow her.

Oz watched as Buffy slowly lifted the tranquilizer gun and took aim. At the exact moment that Buffy was about to pull the trigger, the werewolf turned around and looked directly at Oz. Their eyes met for a brief moment before the werewolf let out a second howl and jumped onto the hood of Willow's car.

"Now, that's gonna leave a mark." Kennedy cringed at the idea of the damage that was being caused to Willow's car.

"Time for this puppy to take a nap." Buffy whispered as she pulled the trigger. The moment the dart left the gun, the werewolf leaped towards them. But midway through the air, the werewolf froze and instantly fell to the ground, asleep.

Oz sympathized with the werewolf. He remembered what it felt like to be shot by one of those darts. Even though Oz knew that he could control the werewolf inside, he was aware of the fact that it could still have easily been him, laying on the ground. In the years since he last left Sunnydale, Oz had figured out how to channel his inner wolf and therefore had to ability to change when needed, expect there was a downside. While in werewolf form, he had no control over his actions. That was why Oz was always very cautious when he had to change in order to stop another werewolf.

Oz watched as Willow slowly made her way to the sleeping werewolf, kneeling down beside it. She gently began to pet its head. "It's okay, Wolfy. Everything will be better in the morning."

"Will, maybe you should stay back. I know that its asleep but we don't know if it a wolf from Courtin's pack or a lone wolf." Kennedy warned as she walked over to where Willow now sat.

Willow looked up at Kennedy, with tears in her eyes. "It might or it might not be. But one thing is for sure, in a few hours when the sun rises, whoever this is will change back to their human form." Willow knew that there was always the chance that it could one day be her daughter laying on the ground. The thought possibly have to shot her daughter with the tranquilizer gun, made her nauseated. But Willow hoped that with Courtin's guidance, if that day ever came, both she and Leila would know what to do.

Since the moment she met Oz, Willow had spent hours researching werewolves. Especially when she found out that she was pregnant with his child. Willow knew that a werewolf's main instinct was to hunt and to spend their life searching for their life mate. At that moment, Willow instantly had her suspicions about who she was petting. "Buffy, you said that Dawn was here. When did she get here?"

It was clear by the look on Buffy's face, that she was confused as to what exactly Willow was asking. Buffy didn't understand what Dawn could possibly have to do with the sudden appearance of a werewolf. "I don't really know. Maybe about five minutes before we heard it howl. Why?"

"I was just wondering. I didn't know that she was coming over." Willow's suspicions about the identity were almost confirmed. But Willow knew that it wasn't her place to explain the situation to Buffy. She would leave that up to Dawn and the werewolf. "Spike, Kennedy, can you carry him down to the basement. Just make sure that Leila doesn't see you."

Both Kennedy and Spike looked at each other and nodded in response. With Kennedy lifting the upper body and Spike lifting the legs, they quickly managed to get the werewolf into the house.

Oz quietly followed the others back into the house. Before he walked in, he quickly looked around to make sure that nobody had been watching them. Oz was surprised that none of the neighbors had exited their homes, to check on the source of the loud howls that had shook the neighborhood. 'They must be used to hearing things coming from this house, with both Buffy then Willow living here.' As Oz walked into the home's foyer, he was almost ran over by what could only be explained as a blur. But as soon as he saw it stop, in front of Willow, he realized that it had been Leila.

"Mommy, why Jordy sleeping?" Leila asked as she ran into the living room, watching as Kennedy and Spike carried the werewolf.

"Will, I tried to stop her." Xander quickly announced as he walked into the living room. It was clear by his lack of breath, that he had attempted to catch Leila. But that was almost impossible for anyone to do, expect unless they were either a slayer or a vampire. A couple of seconds later, Dawn and Anya also joined them, they too were out of breath.

"It's okay, Xander." Willow replied as she knelt in front of her daughter. "Leila, it that Jordy?"

Leila eagerly nodded as she kept her eyes directly on Jordy. "Why he sleeping, Mommy?"

Willow wasn't sure how to answer her daughter. She knew that she couldn't very well tell her daughter that they had to shot him with the tranquilizer gun. That idea would most likely end up giving Leila nightmares and with everything that that little girl had seen in her life, nightmares were still a rare occurrence. Willow considered her daughter's lack of fear to be both a positive and a negative thing. On one side, Leila didn't know enough to judge a person whether they were human or not, just as long as they were nice to her. But on the other side, Willow knew that Leila's lack of fear could possibly put her daughter's life in peril.

Because it seemed as though Willow was having difficulty trying to figure out how to respond to Leila's question, Kennedy decided to answer. "Jordy just had a long day, especially with all the fun that he had at your birthday party. So he just wanted to come here to take a nap so that he could play with you in the morning."

Everyone looked at Kennedy, skeptically. Her answer made no sense to them but Leila seemed to accept the explanation.

"Okay. I don't want to sleep though. I not tired." Leila replied as she rubbed her eyes with her small hands.

Willow wondered how much longer they had until sunrise. She quickly checked her watch; it was already 4:30 am. With only an hour or so left until sunrise, Leila would soon lose all of her excess energy and finally fall asleep after 3 days of running on pure adrenaline. "I think that you are sleepy, Sweetie. How about we go upstairs and you can have a bath before sleepy-time. Mommy will read you a story before bed." Willow laughed as her daughter pretended to not be tired.

"No! I not tired! I wanna play outside!" Leila screamed, stomping her foot on the ground.

"Leila, please…" Willow began to beg her daughter. She was too tired to deal with one of her daughter's rare extreme tantrums.

"I think this ends the night. Anya and I should head out now. Will, where will you be tomorrow?" Xander asked as he removed both his and Anya's jackets from the coat hanger.

"Now that tonight is already ruined, there is no use in us trying to make our news a big surprise. Xander and I are going to have a baby." Anya announced as she casually took her jacket from Xander.

The room suddenly grew silent as everyone stood there in shock. That was the last thing that anyone had expected Xander and Anya to announce.

"Before everyone says their congratulations to the ex-demon and her boy, how about someone tells me and the brat, what to do with this werewolf?" Spike asked.

Willow then realized that she had been so caught up with Leila that she had forgotten about Jordy. "Oh, I'm so sorry. Just bring him to the basement and put him in the cage. I'll take care of everything later." The moment that she was sure that both Kennedy and Spike had safely made it to the basement, she turned her attention back to what Anya had just announced. Willow couldn't believe that her best friend was going to be a father. Through the years, she had watched him with Leila and knew that he would make a great father. "I am so happy for you guys. I can't wait to be an aunty. We have to celebrate; we have to have a party." Willow responded eagerly, hugging both Xander and Anya. "I have to go to Courtin's place, this afternoon but we should definitely celebrate this, tonight. Eek! I am so happy for you guys. But we will definitely celebrate this, tonight. Eek! I am so happy for you guys."

"How about we do it at the school? I'll make us a great big dinner." Buffy added.

With the idea of Buffy cooking, everyone looked at each other, hoping that someone would offer another option, especially when it came to the idea of Buffy cooking. Even though Buffy enjoyed cooking, she wasn't very good at it.

"It's okay, Buff. How about we just get together at The Magic Box and I'll bring pizza." Xander offered.

"Pizza! Pizza! Pizza! Mommy, I want Pizza!" Leila announced at the top of her lungs, feeling as though she was being ignored. Leila was so used to being the center of attention, she wasn't used to the attention being directed towards others.

"I think that the little bit has spoken." Spike laughed as he and Kennedy reentered the living room. "It is almost sunrise therefore I should be on my way back to my crypt."

As everyone said their goodbyes, Oz watched as Willow picked up Leila and made her way upstairs. He knew that this was his change to slip away through the back door, while everyone else was occupied. He knew that he needed time alone to think about everything that had occurred since his return to Sunnydale. Oz had hoped to have another opportunity to talk to Willow but he knew that now didn't seem like a good time.

Oz knew that he wasn't likely to forget the look of fear on Willow's face, when the wolf attempted to escape. He couldn't blame her for being scared and for likely hating him, he was the one who had almost attacked Tara in broad daylight and he was also the one responsible for leaving Willow to raise their daughter on her own. Oz had always regretted leaving Sunnydale and now that he knew that he had a daughter, the whole time, leaving now seemed to be the biggest regret of his life. 'I have a daughter.' Oz reminded himself with a smile. 'I have to try and find a way to fix this.' But before he could try to fix things with both Willow and Leila, he needed to make sure that the seer's premonition didn't come true. Oz swore to himself that he would do anything ensure Leila and Willow's safety, even though he knew that his chances of winning Willow back were almost non-existent. Especially since it was clear to him that Willow was most likely now involved with Courtin. Just as he was about to walk out the back door, he sensed someone behind him.

"I didn't think that you'd run away, again, this soon."

_Author's Notes: _I know that everyone probably expected Willow and Oz to have this big emotional talk after she told him about Leila but I think that I will utilize some of the other characters to help them eventually make their way back to each other. And who does everyone think is in the kitchen with Oz. Please post a review, letting me know who you think that it might be. And if anyone else has figured out that Dawn and Jordy are dating, trust me, this will help our favorite couple resolve their issues. I look forward to reading what everyone thinks about this chapter. Please R & R.


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter. 12

"I didn't think that you'd run away, again, this soon."

Oz turned around towards the source of the voice. Standing in the doorway between the dining room and the kitchen, was Kennedy.

"But from what little bit of info that I have on you, if you left again, it wouldn't be shock to anyone, especially not Willow." Kennedy finished. Even though she didn't really know a lot about Oz, Kennedy had hoped that Oz would have somehow changed and that maybe he would have stayed this time. Especially after finding out that he had a daughter, both for Leila and Willow's sake.

"Willow seems to have a lot on her plate right now. I don't want to bother her." Oz replied, although he was still unclear as to what Kennedy meant.

Kennedy let out a quick laugh before replying. "If you stay long enough, you'll soon find out that Willow has a lot on her plate all the time. Between Leila, the slayer school and The Bronze, she doesn't have time to think about anything else. And if that is Jordy, down in the basement, well lets just say that for the next couple of days Willow's life will be a lot more hectic. But don't get my wrong, Willow has her priorities straight, but at the same time, she's always willing to help a friend. I guess that's one of the reasons that I fell in love with her and it's probably one of the reasons that you fell in love with her, too. But seriously, how do you think that she'll feel when she figures out that you've left town yet again. And you do have to be pretty stupid to piss that woman off, she can seriously make you regret it. But you'd know that if you would have stayed the last time. Ready to make that mistake again because not only will you be hurting Willow, which I'll kill you for, but you'll also be hurting Leila."

Oz couldn't believe that Kennedy thought that he was leaving town again. And he knew that if that was what Kennedy believed, it would surely be what Willow would think as well. Oz couldn't believe his stupidity; he had almost hurt Willow again. And this time, his decision wouldn't only affect Willow but Leila as well. Oz knew that he could never do anything that would hurt that little girl. "I wasn't planning on leaving town. Willow just looks really busy right now and I need time to think about everything. It isn't everyday that you find out you have a daughter. Okay, yeah, leaving without telling Willow probably wasn't a good idea. But I don't even feel as though I deserve her attention. I can't just apologize and she'll take me back."

"But do you want her back?"

"More than anything."

Kennedy jumped up and sat on the counter, as a plan began to form in her mind. I could help Oz and partly herself as well. "I was hoping that you'd say that. But you have to be serious about this because if you do hurt her again, there are a lot of people who will be hunting for you."

"I couldn't be any more serious. But there's no way that she's ever going to let me back into her life." Oz explained. 'And she'll likely never let me be a part of Leila's life.' He thought to himself.

"You might still have a chance. But right now, I'm in serious need of some sleep. How about you come over in the early afternoon? And I'll let Willow know that you didn't skip out on her again." Kennedy offered. Without even waiting for his reply, she pushed herself off of the counter and walked out of the kitchen.

Oz was unsure as to what had just occurred. It seemed as though Kennedy had offered to help him try and win back Willow's love. And she invited him back to the house again that afternoon. He wondered if Willow was going to be there, it was her home. But then he remembered that Willow had already mentioned that she was going over to Courtin's home that afternoon. It was at this point that his suspicions regarding a possible relationship between Willow and Courtin. From what he had seen and heard, it would make perfect sense and Courtin had one thing that Oz didn't. Leila's love.

'I'll prove to Willow that I can be the kind of man that she needs and the kind of father that Leila needs. I'm a father.' Oz thought in disbelief.

-- --

"I'll talk to you later, Buffy. Thank you for staying up tonight with us." Willow said as she closed the front door behind Buffy. Finally everyone had left, leaving only her, Leila and Kennedy since the slayer was staying at the house while she was visited them. They had all agreed to meet that evening at The Magic Box for pizza, in order to celebrate Xander and Anya's big news.

Tears began to fill her eyes as she remembered watching Oz sneak out of the room while she was busy congratulating both Xander and Anya. She knew that it could have possibly been the last time that she saw him. But it hurt her so much more to think that he would have left without saying goodbye. She understood that he could possibly be upset with her for not having found a way of telling him about Leila, before now. Willow wondered if finding out that he had a child, scared him too much. She knew the feeling; she had been terrified when she found out that she was pregnant. Willow began to wonder why Oz had returned to Sunnydale and back into her life. 'Did he come back here for me? But did finding out that we share a daughter, scare him to the point where he decided to leave again?' Willow asked herself. 'Maybe it's for the best that he's gone. I've done the best that I could and I've told him, what he does now is up to him. I can't force him to be a part of Leila's life. But is it even a good idea for him to be in her life? I've always made sure that she has strong male role models around her. There's Xander, Giles, Courtin and even sometimes Spike. But none of them are her father.' Willow knew that it would just be a matter of time before thing went back to normal, if he did leave again. But she wondered what it would feel like to have him in both her and her daughter's lives.

Willow was so deep in thought that she didn't notice that Leila was no longer in the living room until she heard a loud crash coming from the basement. "Kennedy? Was that you?"

"What, Will?" Kennedy casually answered as she walked into the living room.

"That crash, in the basement. Please tell me that it was you."

"If it was me, Will, don't you think that I'd still be in the basement right now?"

Fear gripped Willow as she suddenly realized that Leila was no longer in the same room as them. "Leila…" Willow whispered as she took off running towards the basement with Kennedy following closely behind. Willow felt as though her heart was about to pound out of her chest. The sound came from the basement, where her daughter was likely alone with a werewolf. Willow was so occupied with worry, she didn't realize that she had missed one of the steps leading into the basement, until she felt herself about to fall down the stairs.

"Woah, Will. Slow down, you don't want to end up with your head smashed into the floor. And see Leila's perfectly fine. But you might want to check out what she did." Kennedy warned as she managed to grab a hold of the back of Willow's shirt, preventing the witch from falling head first, down the stairs.

Once Willow was sure that she wasn't going to fall, she quickly scanned the room looking for the source of the loud bang and for her daughter. "Leila? Where are you, Honey?"

"Will, look in the corner." Kennedy pointed to the corner next to the cage where Jordy was still sleeping. Beside the cage, Leila was standing still, with a clear look of guilt on her face.

"Hi Mommy. Hi Kennedy. I didn't do it. Jordy do it." Leila greeted them in almost a whisper, as she pointed to the sleeping werewolf.

Willow knew the look on her daughter's face, all too well. It normally meant that she was caught doing something that she wasn't supposed to be doing and Willow knew that Leila had most likely used her powers to do it. "Leila, did you make that loud bang?"

Leila nodded, guiltily.

That was when Kennedy started to laugh. Willow turned to Kennedy, giving her a look to warn her that now wasn't the time for fun. "What?" Kennedy responded. "Will, do you even see what she's done?"

Will quickly looked around the basement, in order to figure out what Kennedy had meant. That was when Willow realized that Leila was standing in front of a large pile of her toys and the small bed had been moved from the corner of the basement to right beside the cage, where Jordy slept. Willow knew that her daughter hadn't physically moved all of those items into the basement, herself. "Leila, did you use your magics to move everything down here?"

Again Leila only nodded in response. Even at the young age of four years old, she knew that she wasn't supposed to use her powers unless it was for protection or in order to help someone else.

"Why did you do it? Mommy already told you that you cannot use your powers like this." Willow asked softly, knowing that her daughter likely had her own reasons for moving all her toys from her bedroom into the basement.

Leila remained quiet for a couple of minutes, as though she were trying to think of an answer. "Jordy here. I wanna sleep with Jordy. And he sleep on the floor, he need a bed. But bed don't fit. Why Jordy in a cage, Mommy?"

Willow's heart melted even more for her daughter, as she explained her reasons. Leila was just trying to make Jordy more comfortable. Willow walked over to her daughter and picked her up, she then walked over to the bed and sat down, placing her daughter on her lap. Willow smiled at Kennedy as the young slayer sat down on the bed, next to them and wrapped her arm around Willow's waist.

Willow knew that now would be a good time to explain a few more things about werewolves to her daughter. "Leila, you see that Jordy looks like a werewolf right now and not like the Jordy who came to your birthday party, right?"

"He all hairy now." Leila answered proudly.

"That's an understatement." Kennedy laughed.

Both Leila and Willow gave Kennedy the same warning look, which only made Kennedy laugh even harder. Her laughter was soon contagious as both Willow and Leila joined into the laughter as well.

Once the laughter slowed down, Willow continued with her explanation. "I agree, he is a lot hairier than normal but Leila, when a werewolf is all hairy like Jordy, you have to be careful because they can hurt you. And Mommy doesn't know what she would do if anything ever hurt her baby." Willow finished as she pulled her daughter into a hug. She knew that if her reaction to Tara's death was any indication, if anything ever happened to Leila, the world would be in serious danger and there would be no stopping her.

"Mommy, Jordy my friend." Leila stated, clearly offended at what Willow had

said. "He not hurt me. Your friend hurt you."

Willow didn't know how to respond, she looked over to Kennedy, hoping that

maybe Kennedy knew what to say. Willow knew that as Leila's mother, she should have the answers to her daughter's questions except Willow had also long figured out that sometimes it was best to just ask for help.

Kennedy knew that Willow was in need of some help. "Leila, do you remember Faith's puppy?" Kennedy asked, referring to the dog that Faith had purchased with Robin after they had moved to Cleveland.

"Yeah, he a big brown puppy and kisses my face a lot."

"Okay, now do you remember when Faith told you to not touch the puppy's food because then the good puppy, who licks your face, might bite you?" Kennedy continued, hoping that Leila understood what she was trying to say.

Leila look skeptically at both Willow and Kennedy before nodding in response.

"Well it is kinda like the same thing with Jordy. When Jordy is all hairy like that he could bite you too, just like the puppy. But when he isn't all hairy and shit, I mean 'and stuff', he's still your friend. Do you understand?"

Leila seemed to ponder the thought for a couple of minutes, as she began to stare at Jordy, who still slept in the cage, still in werewolf form. "Okay, but Mommy's friend go all hairy and he hurt Mommy. He bad." Leila stated sternly.

Willow knew that she most likely would have to reexplain the whole not touching werewolves, to her daughter, again but she hoped that Leila had at least understood it for the time being. What confused Willow was what Leila had just finished saying. Willow couldn't understand why Leila hadn't just said Courtin's name and why she would have accused him of hurting her. "Leila, Courtin didn't hurt me."

"I think she meant Oz." Kennedy knew from Leila's earlier reaction to Oz, that the little girl did not like him. But she couldn't think of any reason as to why Leila would be scared of him. That little girl was rarely scared of anything, not even of scary looking demons or vampires scared her. For some reason, Leila seemed to think that all the weird supernatural things that they faced were just a normal part of everyone's lives. It didn't help that she was one half-werewolf and one half-witch, especially not was she was being raised within the slayer school. But Kennedy knew that everything that Willow did, she did for her daughter.

Willow was shocked, she had never wanted Leila to dislike Oz. She had personally made certain that Leila wasn't able to read her thoughts and emotions in regards to Oz. Willow wondered if her daughter's powers were becoming stronger than her own and therefore Leila might have somehow managed to overpower the barrier that Willow had set up in her mind. "Oz is my friend. But he didn't hurt me. Who told you that?" Willow knew that she would strangle the person who might have informed her daughter of her past with Oz.

"He tell me." Leila stated.

"Leila, did Oz tell you that he hurt Mommy or did you hear it in his head?" Willow hoped with her whole being that Oz had said something to Leila about their past because the alternative scared her to death. She knew that if Leila had read Oz's thoughts, her daughter likely knew a little too much for a child her age.

Instead of replying, Leila drew her eyes to the ground. The look of guilt on her face, told Willow everything that she needed to know. "I hear it…" Leila admitted as tears began to fall down her cheeks.

"That's it. I'm out. I can't watch her cry." Kennedy said as she checked her watch. "Sunrise is in about 20 minutes. I'm going upstairs to catch some sleep. What are you doing, Will?"

After her daughter's admittance, Willow knew that she needed to talk to her one-on-one. She felt as though she somehow failed her daughter, by not finding a way of explaining to her daughter that read the thoughts of others was wrong. "I think that Leila wants to sleep down here near Jordy, so were just going to have a little sleepover down here in the basement. And do you think that you can wake me up before lunch because I have to go over to Courtin's house, this afternoon."

There was no one that Kennedy hated more than Courtin. No matter what Willow said, Kennedy knew that he was behind their breakup. "That only gives you like 4 hours of sleep."

"Kennedy…"

The young slayer threw her arms in the air as she stood up and walked towards the stairs. "Fine, whatever you want." She replied while climbing the stairs, leaving Willow alone with her daughter and a werewolf, in the basement. Kennedy wasn't scared, she knew that Willow could easily take care of both her daughter and herself, should anything happen. Kennedy was proud of herself, it seemed like her plan to help Oz, might actually work. All Kennedy had to do was keep Courtin away from Willow and let Oz do the rest. And since she had no intention of waking Willow up when she knew that the witch was in some desperate need of rest, it also meant that Willow wouldn't be going over to Courtin's.

-- --

When Willow was sure that Kennedy was no longer in the basement, she turned back to her daughter. "Leila, you know that it is wrong to read other people's thoughts. You shouldn't have done it. But it's already done, just please don't do it again. Is there anything that you heard, that you'd like to talk about?"

"He not nice, Mommy. He try to hurt Mama." Leila stated as she began to rub her tired eyes.

Willow kissed the top of her daughter's head; she knew that it was just a matter of time before Leila finally fell asleep. The sun was about to rise, soon the whole werewolf pack would change back to their human forms and Leila would lose all of her full moon energy. Once Leila was asleep, Willow knew that she had to figure out why her daughter didn't like Oz. As far as she knew, they still hadn't yet met. "Oz is a very nice person, who made some mistakes. Yes, he did almost hurt Mama but it wasn't his fault. And Mommy has forgiven him, I'm sure that Mama did too. How about we talk about it in the morning? Mommy thinks that it's sleepy-time now." Willow said as she laid down on the small cot, with her daughter laying beside her.

"I not tired." Leila argued as she tried to stop herself from yawning. "I wanna play with my toys…"

When Leila didn't finish her sentence, Willow maneuvered herself to get a better look at her daughter. Her now sleeping daughter. As she watched her daughter sleep, Willow began counting the resemblances between Leila and Oz. Even though Leila shared a similar shade of red hair to Willow's, she had Oz's blue eyes along with his nose and mouth.

Willow fell asleep remembering the feeling of Oz's lips on hers.

End of Chapter. 12

Author's Notes: Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to post a review. Please keep them coming. Does Oz decide to take Kennedy's help? Why does Leila not trust Oz? These questions and more will be answered in the next chapter. :) 


	14. Chapter 13

Author's Notes: I want to thank everyone who took the time to post a reply. I've been told that my chapters are too short, so here is one that I hope is to everyone's liking. Please take the time to post a review, letting me know what you think of this chapter's events. Thank you :)

Chapter 13. 

"It was just a nightmare." Oz kept repeating to himself as he walked back to Willow's home, early the next morning. But something inside of him told him that his nightmare could very well come true. He had dreamt that Leila had been kidnapped and by time he found her, it had been too late. Oz knew that he should tell Willow, the real reason for his return but after finding out that Leila was his daughter, he decided that as long as he was there to protect the little girl, he didn't need to panic Willow.

Oz still couldn't believe how much his life had changed since returning to Sunnydale. Not only was he now a father, but also he now knew that Willow was in fact single. Although Oz didn't fully understand Kennedy's reasons for wanting to help him, he was sure that their dislike for Courtin was mutual. It was apparent to Oz that Courtin played a huge role in both Willow and Leila's lives and from their interactions during the party, it was clear that Courtin had feelings for Willow. Feelings that Willow were clearly oblivious about.

But Oz couldn't forget the one thing that Courtin had that he didn't. Leila's love. Oz knew that he had to work hard to win back Willow's heart but he didn't even know where to begin when it came to Leila's. It was at that moment that Oz promised himself that he would prove to both Willow and Leila that he could be what they needed, he could be both a boyfriend and a father. 'A father.' He thought to himself. Oz knew that it would take a little time for him to get used to the idea of being a father but he hoped that Willow would be willing to allow him to be one to Leila. As he walked up to the porch, he noticed Kennedy sitting on the swing. "Hey."

Kennedy was surprised to see Oz, so early in the morning. She quickly checked her watch, it was only 9am and she had told him to come over in the early afternoon. But from the number of times that Courtin had already called, Kennedy was grateful that Oz had come early. "I guess that you couldn't sleep."

"No. You?"

"It's just weird for me to back in this house. Will and I only broke up 3 months ago, so it's weird to be back here and yet not actually be with her." Kennedy admitted. She didn't know why she was admitting her feelings for Willow to Oz but something inside of her told her that he likely understood how she felt.

It was clear to Oz that Kennedy still had deep feelings for Willow, which caused him to wonder why they weren't still a couple. "How long were the two of you together? You don't have to answer, if it's too private."

"No, it's cool. Willow and I dated for almost a year and a half. It's funny; I came here with Giles and 2 other potential slayers and soon there was almost 40 people living in this house. But I still managed to make Willow fall in love with me, and trust me that wasn't an easy thing to do." Kennedy wondered how Oz would deal with being third in Willow's heart, the first two being Leila and Tara.

Oz couldn't imagine how 40 people fit into the home but he knew that there must have been something extremely evil for Buffy to take in that many people. Oz wondered how Kennedy and Willow became a couple without any privacy. "It must have been hard for you to get her attention with that many people around."

"That wasn't the hard part. I managed to make sure that I shared a bedroom with Willow, on the first night." Kennedy couldn't help but laugh when she saw the look of shock on Oz's face. "Leila shared the room with us. Trust me, nothing happened between us that night. But lets just say that I wasn't very secretive about how much I liked Willow. The hardest part about dating Willow was sharing her with Tara. When I met Willow, she was still grieving Tara's death and I think that a part of her always will. It's been a long road for Willow and she worked hard to be where she is today but there's still times when she's scared to use her own powers."

Oz remembered how he had seen Willow and Leila at the cemetery, the day before, visiting Tara's grave. From the date on the gravestone, it had only been a couple years since Tara's death. Oz couldn't imagine the pain that Willow must have gone through when Tara died but he still couldn't figure out what Tara's death had to do with Willow's powers. "Why would Willow be afraid to use her powers? When I left, Willow was excited about getting better at her spells."

Before Kennedy could answer Oz's question, she heard a light knock on the front door. And since the knock came from the inside of the house, Kennedy knew exactly who was on the other side of the door. "Lei, you can come outside."

Slowly the front door opened and Leila cautiously stuck her head out of the doorway. But the moment that she saw Oz, leaning against the railing, she froze. Leila remembered that her mother had said that Oz wouldn't hurt her and yet she had seen him change into a werewolf and make her mother cry, when she had read his thoughts. "Kennedy…" She whispered from the doorway, motioning for Kennedy to come to her.

"Leila, you can come here. It's okay. Come and sit on the swing with me." Kennedy reassured the little girl. She knew that Leila had read Oz's thoughts and she was curious as to what the little girl had seen. But Kennedy also knew that if her plan to get Willow and Oz back together was going to work, she needed to convince Leila that Oz wasn't a bad person.

Oz watched as Leila edged her way from the doorway to Kennedy's arms. It was clear to him, that Leila still feared him.

"Lei, do you remember Oz? You met him at your birthday party, yesterday." Kennedy patiently asked and from the look on Leila's face, it was obvious that the little girl was studying him. After a couple of minutes, Leila climbed up onto the swing and whispered something into Kennedy's ear. Kennedy couldn't help but laugh. "Leila asked me why your hair is a different color today. And I'm actually wondering that too."

Oz felt as though he was possibly making some progress in earning her daughter's trust. He knew that it wasn't going to be easy but he was determined to prove to her that he would never hurt her. "I couldn't sleep last night."

Leila turned back and whispered again in Kennedy's ear as she smiled shyly at Oz.

"Leila asked me if she could change her hair color too." Kennedy explained to Oz before turning her attention back to the little girl. "And no. Your mom would kill me or anyone else if you ever changed your red hair. Maybe she'll let you do it when you're older."

"I like your red hair. Red hair just like your mom." When Leila smiled at him, she reminded Oz of Willow, especially the shy Willow that he had first fallen in love with. He saw a lot of Willow in Leila; the only difference was that Leila must have inherited her blue eyes from him. Except her eyes were a much brighter blue than his own. It was at that moment that Oz realized that this was the first time, since he had first seen her in The Magic Box with Spike, that she sat still enough for him to really look at her. 'I wonder if she inherited anything else from me? Maybe she inherited some wolf abilities from me? I wonder if the full moon affects her." He asked himself. Oz was about to ask Kennedy about Leila's now calmer demeanor but was interrupted when the cordless phone, next to Kennedy, began to ring.

Kennedy grabbed the phone, already knowing exactly who it was. Courtin had already called five times that morning. "Leila, how about you go upstairs and get dressed? After that we can go do some training in the backyard."

"Okay. I kick and fight?" Leila quietly asked, still weary about Oz as she continued to stare at him.

"Yes, now go." Kennedy laughed as Leila jumped from the swing and ran back towards the door. When Kennedy was sure that Leila was in the house, she quickly turned back to Oz. "One minute. I have to take care of this." She explained right before she answered the telephone. "I told you that I'll get her to call you when she wakes up."

Oz watched Kennedy as she talked to whomever over the phone. From the way that the conversation seemed to be going, it wasn't hard for Oz to figure out who was on the other end. Courtin.

"Seriously, Willow needs sleep and Jordy's still sleeping too. I know that he's none of my business but Willow is and if you wake her up by your constant calling, I'll make sure you really find out what a slayer is." Kennedy finished by hanging up the phone. After taking a deep breath, she turned back to Oz and explained. "That was Courtin. He's a little pissed that Jordy escaped last night and he wants to talk to Willow. But I'm not waking her up, she needs her sleep. I seriously don't know how she does it without someone else constantly at the house, helping her. And as much as I hate to admit it, I do feel more comfortable going back to Cleveland, knowing that Courtin's watching over her. But I honestly think that it's just a matter of time before Willow falls in love with him. That's unless you stop him."

Oz knew that Courtin viewed him as a threat when it came to Willow. But something told him that that Courtin was likely going to make it difficult for him to be a part of Leila's life. "And how do I stop her from falling in love with him?"

"Make her fall back in love with you."

"Easier said than done."

Kennedy couldn't understand why Oz seemed unemotional when it came to winning Willow back. She knew that if she ever had a chance to be with Willow again, there wouldn't be any obstacle that she wouldn't overcome. "Why?"

"It's complicated."

"Because you cheated?" Kennedy didn't know much about Willow's relationship with Oz but she did know that it was still painful for Willow to talk about. And by Oz's reaction, it was still a sore subject for him as well. 'Why would anyone willingly cheat on Willow?' She asked herself. Kennedy wondered if it had anything to do with the fact that Oz was a werewolf. She still found it hard to believe that he was one, especially when he hadn't changed during the full moon. It wasn't as though she had never been around a werewolf before but there was something different about Oz, something that separated him from the members of Courtin's pack.

Oz didn't know how to respond to her question. He wondered how much the young slayer knew about the reasons for their breakup.

There hadn't been a day within the last 5 years that Oz hadn't thought about what he had done to Willow. It took just one night for him to single-handedly destroy the thing that he treasured the most, his relationship with Willow. He had so many regrets about the way that they had ended things, especially now that he knew that they shared a daughter. Oz didn't regret leaving Sunnydale to find a cure but he did regret not having kept in touch with Willow.

"Why would you do something as stupid as cheat on her? You're lucky as hell that she didn't fillet your ass for it."

"This is beginning to feel like an interrogation."

Kennedy let out a brief sigh as she stood up from the swing and stood right in front of him. "Listen here, I'm trying to help you. If you don't want my help then fine, you can find a way of winning Willow back by yourself. But trust me; you'd have a much easier time with my help. The only thing that I ask is to know the details because I want to make sure that you're even worthy of Willow's love. You've already proven that it didn't mean that much to you before. However, something tells me that you regret losing her. You made the mistake of breaking her heart so only you can pick up those pieces and fix it. But I can help in the sense that while I'm in town, which is only for a few more days, I'll do my best to keep Courtin away from Willow. Just don't forget that you don't only have to earn Willow's trust again, but you also have to find a way of making Leila trust you as well. And now that I think of it, Jordy might be able to help us."

Oz wondered why Kennedy was helping him, especially when the people whom he had once considered his friends, had lied to him. Oz knew that he wanted to ask Xander about the reasons why he lied to him and he also needed to make sure that Xander didn't tell Willow the real reason for his return to Sunnydale. "Why are you helping me?"

Kennedy took a deep breath and sat back down on the swing. During the previous night, as she slept alone in the spare bedroom, she had often asked herself the same question. Kennedy didn't know if helping Oz was the best solution but her instincts told her that Willow and Leila would be safer with Oz, as opposed to Courtin. "I lost my chance with Willow. There's no going back for me and it's all because of Courtin. But you still have a chance. I just want to know if you still love her."

"More than anything."

"Then it's simple, you have to fight for her. That was my mistake. I got mad and stormed off to another city, kinda like what you did. But there's one thing that you have that neither Courtin nor I have."

From Oz's point of view, Courtin had everything that he wanted. Courtin was the one who was with both Willow and Leila on what seemed to be a daily basis. He had been the one to witness milestones in Leila's life that Oz should have been there for. Even Kennedy had been there to witness some of the important chapters in his daughter's life. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You're Leila's father. That's something that Courtin can never take from you. But I'll tell you this; if you want to fight him, you might have to use some of that wolf in you."

Oz looked back at Kennedy, with a slight look of confusion on his face.

"I never understood why it was so important to Willow that Leila spends time with Courtin and his pack but now that I know that you're a werewolf, it makes a lot more sense. So I guess that it makes Leila one-half werewolf and one-half witch. Weird. But now that you're back, you can show Willow that you can be a better influence in Leila's life than Courtin. And don't get me wrong, I don't have anything against werewolves. Jordy and some of the other werewolves from the pack are okay…" Kennedy was about to continue when she suddenly noticed a large SUV turning onto their road and moving closer towards the home. The moment that she recognized the vehicle, she turned to Oz and offered. "That's Courtin's truck. How about you go wake Willow up? She's sleeping in the basement. Jordy's down there too, in the cage. You'll want to make sure that both of them are awake. I have a feeling that Jordy is in a lot of trouble for escaping the forest, last night. I'll try to keep Courtin away for as long as I can. And if you see Leila, send her outside. There's no way that Courtin would try anything stupid with her around."

"Are you sure that it's a good idea for me to wake Willow up? I don't think that I'm Willow's favorite person at the moment."

Kennedy jumped from the swing and began her way down the front steps when she turned back to Oz. "Be a man and do it. You must know that Willow can rarely stay mad at anyone, so show her that you still want her. Make her love you."

'And the slayer is right.' Oz thought to himself as he walked towards the front door. Before entering the house, he turned around to thank Kennedy when he noticed that she was now in the middle of the driveway, arguing with Courtin who was now getting out of his SUV. Oz knew that if he wanted to have even a couple of minutes alone with Willow, he would have to hurry. 'I'm doing to right thing.' He tried to reassure himself as he made his way towards the basement.

-- --

As Oz climbed down the stairs into the basement, he continued to have second thoughts in regards to waking up Willow. 'Maybe she'd rather have Courtin wake her.' But the moment that he saw Willow, asleep, curled up at the end of the cot, all of those thoughts disappeared. He was about to approach the cot, when he noticed movement from the corner of his eye.

"Psst.."

"Hey Jordy." He greeted his younger cousin, who was still locked in the cage. "How did you get clothes?"

"They were just here when I woke up. Either Kennedy or Will must have placed them there. But I have to admit, that I'm happy that they did it because it might have really weird for Willow, to have to explain to Leila, my lack of clothes. Feel free to let me out of this thing, though. Willow probably has the key on a chain, around her neck." Jordy stood up and walked to the side of the cage, casually leaning against its side.

"Yeah, that could have been an awkward conversation. Give me a minute and I'll wake Willow up. Courtin's here and I think that he probably wants to talk to you." Oz wasn't sure how exactly his younger cousin had come to be a part of Courtin's pack. But from the look of fear on Jordy's face, it was clear that he feared the pack's alpha male. Oz had hoped to talk to Willow alone, but he figured that talking to her with Jordy in the room, was better than talking to her with Courtin in the room.

He quietly knelt in front of the cot, and lightly brushed the hair from Willow's face with the back of his hand. Her skin was still as soft as it had been when he was last touched her. Oz wondered if Willow would ever allow him to get this close to her again. He wanted to take the time to treasure the moment, but as he heard multiple voices coming from the main floor, he knew that he had to wake her soon. "Willow, it's time to wake up."

Willow thought that she was still dreaming when she heard Oz's voice in her ear. But when she opened her eyes, she was surprised to see him there, in front of her. As she remembered the events that had occurred the night before, she realized that her dream hadn't actually been a dream at all. Oz was really back and she had told him that Leila was his daughter. A part of Willow had believed that Oz had left town, the night before, after he snuck out of the house. But yet he was now looking down at her. "You're here." She whispered.

Oz smiled softly back at her before replying. "I'm not leaving that easily, Will. We still have a lot to talk about, especially now."

"Leila."

"And other things, like us." Oz hoped that Willow would at least consider giving him a second chance. He knew that he didn't deserve one but he couldn't give up hope that maybe some day, she would allow him to hold her in his arms again.

It took a minute for Willow to realize what Oz had just said. He was talking about their relationship and this terrified Willow. She wasn't even sure if she wanted Oz to be a part of Leila's life, let alone think about having a future with him again. 'I refuse to let him hurt me, I mean Leila, again.' She thought to herself. Willow quickly sat up on the cot and moved slightly away from Oz. "There is no us. The only connection between us now is Leila."

Oz felt as though he had been stabbed in the heart. Willow had entirely dismissed any thought of a possible relationship and it didn't even seem to faze her. "I know that she has to be our main concern…"

"Before you guys get all deep and stuff, can someone let me out of here? I'd really like to climb out that window before Courtin comes down here." Jordy asked. He knew his chances of Willow helping him escape were slim to none but he hoped that Oz could somehow convince Willow that letting him escape was a good idea.

"You're not going anywhere, not until after we have a little talk." Courtin said, announcing his presence as he walked down into the basement. "Actually, I think that you might want to have a seat, we can be here for awhile."

"Courtin, go easy on him. It wasn't his fault. I should have made sure that there weren't any cracks in the barrier." Willow said, defending the young werewolf, as she got up and stood between the cage and Courtin. "Oz, can you go and please ask Kennedy to make a lunch for Leila? I might have to drop her off with Anya for a couple of hours." Willow quietly asked, never taking her eyes off of Courtin.

It was evident to Oz that Courtin was not pleased with Jordy. Oz understood the risks that Jordy put himself and everyone else in, by escaping the barrier while in werewolf form. But no one had gotten hurt, which caused Oz to wonder why the alpha male was so upset. Even though Oz didn't want to leave Willow alone with Courtin, he knew that this probably had to do with issues within the pack. "I can go do that. But we'll talk?"

"We can talk." Willow briefly looked at Oz as she replied, smiling softly yet again, before looking back at Courtin. She was thankful that Oz wasn't going to argue with her. She knew that eventually they would have to talk but right now just wasn't the right time.

As Oz walked past Courtin, on his way back upstairs, he could have sworn that he heard Courtin growl at him. Oz understood the feeling and it was mutual. He knew that if his inner wolf was possessive of Willow, it wasn't a shock that Courtin's would be as well. But Oz refused to get into an argument with the werewolf over Willow, especially with her in the room, therefore he continued to make his way up the stairs.

Once Courtin was sure that they wouldn't be bothered by anyone, he turned back to Willow and Jordy. He knew from the look on Willow's face, that she wasn't going to tolerate him losing his temper. "Will, he had control over what he did. We can't control what the wolf does, but the wolf wouldn't have gone through the pain of crossing the barrier unless the human part of our mind is set on something else. That's why we're supposed to fully give into the wolf when we change. But I guess that Jordy had his mind elsewhere, last night. Where did you guys find him, anyways?" He turned to Jordy and asked. "And what was so important that you put other people's lives in danger?"

Willow slowly took the key from the chain around her neck and unlocked the cage. "We actually didn't find him. He came to us. No one got hurt and there weren't any reports about attacks, or Buffy would have called us, the both of us. And since the only damage that occurred happened to my car, I say that it was a good night for everyone."

"Willow, I'm so sorry about your car, I promise to pay for all of the damages." Jordy apologized as he walked out of the cage. He could sense the anger coming the Alpha of his pack and knew that he was in for one harsh punishment.

"You can work off the damages at The Bronze." Willow offered.

Courtin gently took Willow's hand in his own. "Will, I don't think that it's much of a punishment when he gets to work off his debt in his favorite place in the world. He really needs to learn what hard work is and he'll never learn that lesson while he's surrounded by girls and music."

"Hey! There's only one girl."

It was evident to Courtin by the look on Willow's face, that she knew a lot more about the situation than she was letting on. Knowing that Willow wasn't likely to break Jordy's trust, he turned his attention back to Jordy. "So who's this girl that was important enough for you to put everyone in danger? Is it someone I know?"

Jordy knew that he should probably talk to his girlfriend before announcing their relationship but he knew that Courtin wasn't going to give up until he told him everything. "Dawn. I think that I got past the barrier because even the wolf part of me always wants to be near her. I think that it's the whole life mate thing that you're always teaching us about."

"I take it that Buffy probably doesn't know about the two of you, right? Because I don't think that she'd be too happy about you and her sister dating. But she doesn't have to worry about it because it's over, starting right now. And actually now that I think of it, you can work off your debt to Willow by working it off at The Magic Box. Anya's always saying that she needs more help."

Willow understood that things wouldn't be easy for Jordy and Dawn if they did announce their relationship. Even though her relationship with a werewolf didn't exactly work out, she hoped that the young couple could find a way of making it work. Willow knew that everyone else would likely be against Jordy and Dawn's relationship because of what happened in the past with Oz. Except there was one huge difference between her relationship with Oz and that of Jordy and Dawn. When Jordy was in werewolf form, it was clear to her that he sought out his mate, Dawn. But Oz had chosen to be with Veruca while in werewolf form than to seek her out. Even though Willow knew that Oz hadn't had control over his actions during the three nights of the full moon, he had still chosen to lie to her. The memory of finding Oz and Veruca, naked together, was still extremely painful for Willow. She didn't know if she could ever fully trust him again, even if they did now share a daughter.

"I'm not breaking up with Dawn, just because you tell me too. I'm 18 years old now which means that I'm an adult and that I can date whoever I want, whenever I want." Jordy silently prayed that Willow would come to his defense, especially since she seemed to be the only person capable of ever changing his mind or his mood. "And you can't be serious about me working at The Magic Box. No offense to Anya but she'll make me carry boxes of all kinds of freaky shit."

"Hey!"

"Sorry, Willow, but it's true." Jordy apologized. "There are things in that place that scare the hell out of me."

Courtin couldn't believe that Jordy was actually disobeying him. As alpha of the pack, Courtin was the one in charge, making it his responsibility to keep all the members of his pack safe. And he knew that if anything were to ever happen to Dawn, Jordy would instantly be the one blamed. But there was one thing about the whole situation that made him nervous. Normally, during the three nights of the full moon and the pack were in their werewolf form, they all shared each other's thoughts and emotions. Except for some reason, Jordy's thoughts had somehow been blocked for the past three nights. "Jordy, as long as you live within the compound walls and you're a member of the pack, you'll do as I say. You are going to work off your debt at The Magic Box and you'll stop seeing Dawn Summers."

Willow knew that she had to step in before one of the two werewolves in front of her, said something that they might later regret. "Jordy, why don't you go upstairs and make yourself something to eat? I need to talk to Courtin for a minute." Willow asked while giving Courtin her resolve-look, daring him to say something to her. Willow knew that Courtin wasn't likely to change his mind about Jordy and Dawn, especially knowing how strongly he felt about what Oz had done to her, but she hoped to somehow convince him that things could be different for the young couple and for him to give them a chance.

"Fine." Jordy shrugged as he walked past Willow and Courtin and made his way up the stairs.

"Why did you do that?" Courtin asked as he watched Jordy slam the basement door, behind him. "You should know that better than anyone that this is only going to lead to disaster. I thought that you'd be on my side on this." He finished, leading Willow to the cot, where he sat down and pulled her down onto his lap.

Willow softly leaned her head on his shoulder and began playing with the tips of her long red hair. "I am on your side, but I'm also of Dawn and Jordy's side too. Courtin, they're both 18 years old; they have a right to chose who they want to date. I know that you're trying to protect the pack but Jordy is still a normal guy and he has to make his own mistakes in life. I promise that if things go wrong and you say 'I told you so', I won't get mad." Willow replied with a small smile.

"Now how can I argue with that? Fine, I'll let him be with Dawn but they still have to tell Buffy and I don't think that she'll be too thrilled about it, either. So, yet again, you manage to convince me to change my mind. Tell me, how do you do it?" Courtin asked jokingly, resting his chin on the top of Willow's head.

"Because you're one smart werewolf and you listen to reason." Willow laughed in response. "How much to do you love me?"

'More than I can ever tell you.' Courtin thought to himself. But he knew that now wasn't a time to admit his love for the redheaded witch, especially with Oz's return. "Depends on what you want."

"Well, Xander and Anya announced last night that they're going to have a baby. And I was thinking that since I already promised you that Leila and I would spend the afternoon at the compound with you and the rest of the pack, maybe we could have a little party for them, there. Please?" Willow asked with a frown, while trying unsuccessfully to not smile.

Her smile always seemed to melt his heart. Courtin couldn't imagine why Oz would have chosen to hurt someone so beautiful, both on the inside and out. 'Dumb move on his part.' He told himself. 'Oz blew his chances of being with her and of being a father to Leila. Now it's my turn.' But Courtin knew that making Willow fall in love with him wouldn't be easy, especially with Oz back in the picture. "How many people are we talking about?"

Willow lifted her head, and turned to look at Courtin. Her smile grew as she realized that his question meant yes to having the party at the compound. "Not that many, just Leila, the rest of the Scoobies and me. Oh and of course, the rest of the wolf pack, the new slayers, Kennedy and… Oz." Willow knew that she probably shouldn't have mentioned the last name but Oz and Xander had once been very good friends, even though there seemed to have been a slight tension between the men, during Leila's birthday party.

Courtin gently lifted Willow from his lap, and stood up in front of her. "You can't be serious."

-- --

Oz couldn't help but smile as he watched Kennedy play with Leila, in the backyard. Since leaving Willow in the basement with both Courtin and Jordy, Oz had decided to simply watch Leila while he waited to talk to Willow. As much as he wanted to be out there playing with her, she seemed so happy and he knew that that happiness would disappear the moment that she saw him. But he was grateful for the small progress that he had made with his daughter. She had actually smiled at him, which gave Oz reason to believe that maybe she would allow him to be a father to her.

He was so engrossed with watching his daughter try and fight Kennedy, that he hadn't noticed someone walk up behind him until he heard the basement door slam. Oz turned around to find his younger, yet taller, cousin staring angrily back at him.

"Because of you, I might have to break up with my girlfriend. I don't know what happened between you and Willow but fix it!" Jordy loudly stated as he stormed out of the house, almost walking right into both Leila and Kennedy as they walked back in.


End file.
